U.S. Senator Ted Cruz from Texas has introduced the Universal School Choice Act, aiming to provide up to $10 billion annually in federal tax credits for contributions to nonprofit scholarship organizations. This legislation builds on previous efforts by Sen. Cruz, notably the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act, with a focus on expanding educational opportunities for all children regardless of their background.
“School choice is the civil rights issue of the 21st century,” stated Sen. Cruz. He emphasized his commitment to making universal school choice available nationwide and urged his colleagues to support this initiative.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation endorses the bill. Mandy Drogin, Campaign Director at the foundation, praised Sen. Cruz’s leadership in advocating for educational freedom and parental rights, describing the bill as a transformative step towards empowering families across America.
In parallel, companion legislation has been introduced in the House by Representatives Burgess Owens of Utah and Byron Donalds of Florida. Rep. Owens highlighted that every child deserves access to quality education tailored to their needs and expressed gratitude for Sen. Cruz’s partnership in this legislative effort.
Rep. Donalds echoed these sentiments, criticizing the current public school system as outdated and ineffective while advocating for increased competition among schools and greater control for American families over their children’s education.
Senator Cruz has been a prominent advocate for school choice and parental rights within education policy circles. His past achievements include authoring amendments like the Student Opportunity Amendment in 2017 that expanded college savings plans to cover K-12 tuition costs across various types of schools.
Cruz’s ongoing efforts also include filing bills such as the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act multiple times since 2019, aimed at making schooling more affordable through federal tax credits supporting diverse educational programs including trade schools and apprenticeships.
Furthermore, he introduced initiatives like the END CRT Act in 2021 opposing federal intervention in local school board meetings concerning parents’ free speech rights, alongside other measures focused on reopening schools during pandemic conditions and addressing learning loss among K-12 students through proposed legislation like Catch Up Our Kids Act.
