[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 56 (Thursday, April 2, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E861-E862]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             INTRODUCTION OF THE HOPE PLUS SCHOLARSHIP ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 2, 2009

  Mr. PAUL. Madam Speaker, I raise to introduce the Hope Plus 
Scholarship Act, which

[[Page E862]]

expands the Hope Education Scholarship credit to cover K-12 education 
expenses. Under this bill, parents could use the Hope Scholarship to 
pay for private or religious school tuition or to offset the cost of 
home schooling. In addition, under the bill, all Americans could use 
the Hope Scholarship to make cash or in-kind donations to public 
schools. Thus, the Hope Scholarship could help working parents send 
their child to a private school, while other patents could take 
advantage of the Hope credit to help purchase new computers for their 
children's local public school.
  Reducing taxes so that Americans can devote more of their own 
resources to education is the best way to improve America's schools, 
since individuals are more likely than federal bureaucrats to insist 
that schools be accountable for student performance. When the federal 
government controls the education dollar, schools will be held 
accountable for their compliance with bureaucratic paperwork 
requirements and mandates that have little to do with actual education. 
Federal rules and regulations also divert valuable resources away from 
classroom instruction.
  The only way to reform America's education system is through 
restoring control of the education dollar to the American people so 
they can ensure schools provide their children a quality education. I 
therefore ask all of my colleagues to help improve education by 
returning education resources to the American people by cosponsoring 
the Hope Plus Scholarship Act.

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