[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 16, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H7288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNTS

  (Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, making education 
affordable, whether at the college level or at the primary and 
secondary level, has to be one of the primary concerns of Congress. Our 
Republican tax bill adopted this year contained provisions that 
provided real tax relief for families that were paying tuition. But 
unfortunately, at the end of the conference with the administration, 
the administration demanded that key provisions be stripped out or that 
the bill would be vetoed.
  Specifically the Clinton administration opposed tax relief for 
prepaid tuition plans like we have in Pennsylvania and tax relief in 
the form of a parent and student savings account plus, which would 
provide up to $2,000 a year for an education savings account with the 
buildup of interest to be tax free.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the legislation introduced by Speaker 
Gingrich in the House and Senator Coverdell in the Senate to create an 
education savings account to make education affordable and make the 
American dream more accessible.
  Mr. President, please realize this issue is not going to go away. We 
will not go away until working families and students get the tax relief 
they deserve. We are going to push this issue this year.

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