[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 29 (Thursday, February 15, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E352-E353]
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

                      Wednesday, February 14, 2007

  Mr. PAUL. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Education 
Improvement Tax Cut Act. 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 $5,000 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 $5,000 tax credit for cash or in-kind donations to public schools to 
support academic or extra curricular programs.
  Education remains one of the top priorities of the American people. 
Unfortunately, most proposals to address the American people's demand 
for education reform either expand federal control over education or 
engage in the pseudo-federalism of block grants. Many proposals that 
claim to increase local control over education actually extend federal 
power by holding schools ``accountable'' to federal bureaucrats and 
politicians. Of course, schools should be held accountable for their 
results, but they should be held accountable to parents and school 
boards not to federal officials. Therefore, I propose we move in a 
different direction and embrace 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 both the 
means and 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,

[[Page E353]]

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?'' Madam 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.

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