[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 2, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E303]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           INTRODUCING THE EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT TAX CUT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 2, 1999

  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the Education Improvement 
Tax Cut Act of 1999. This act, a companion to my Family Education 
Freedom Act, takes a further step toward returning control over 
education resources to private citizens by providing a $3,000 tax 
credit for donations to scholarship funds to enable low-income children 
to attend private schools. It also encourages private citizens to 
devote more of their resources to helping public schools, by providing 
a $3,000 tax credit for cash or in-kind donations to public schools to 
support academic or extra curricular programs.
  I need not remind my colleagues that education is one of, if not the 
top priority of the American people. After all, many members of 
Congress have proposed education reforms and a great deal of their time 
is spent debating these proposals. However, most of these proposals 
either expand federal control over education or engage in the pseudo-
federalism of block grants. I propose we go in a different direction by 
embracing true federalism by returning control over the education 
dollar to the American people.
  One of the major problems with centralized control over education 
funding is that spending priorities set by Washington-based 
Representatives, staffers, and bureaucrats do not necessarily match the 
needs of individual communities. In fact, it would be a miracle if 
spending priorities determined by the wishes of certain politically 
powerful Representatives or the theories of Education Department 
functionaries match the priorities of every community in a country as 
large and diverse as America. Block grants do not solve this problem as 
they simply allow states and localities to choose the means to reach 
federally-determined ends.
  Returning control over the education dollar for tax credits for 
parents and for other concerned citizens returns control over the ends 
of education policy to local communities. People in one community may 
use this credit to purchase computers, while children in another 
community may, at last, have access to a quality music program because 
of community leaders who took advantage of the tax credit contained in 
this bill.
  Children in some communities may benefit most from the opportunity to 
attend private, parochial, or other religious schools. One of the most 
encouraging trends in education has been the establishment of private 
scholarship programs. These scholarship funds use voluntary 
contributions to open the doors of quality private schools to low-
income children. By providing a tax credit for donations to these 
programs, Congress can widen the educational opportunities and increase 
the quality of education for all children. Furthermore, privately-
funded scholarships raise none of the concerns of state entanglement 
raised by publicly-funded vouchers.
  There is no doubt that Americans will always spend generously on 
education, the question is, ``who should control the education dollar--
politicians and bureaucrats or the American people?'' Mr. Speaker, I 
urge my colleagues to join me in placing control of education back in 
the hands of citizens and local communities by sponsoring the Education 
Improvement Tax Cut Act of 1999.

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