Education
As the former Director of the Arizona Governors Office for Children, the issue of education is one that I am passionate about. I am committed to providing our children with the best educational opportunities possible, by empowering parents to choose the schools their children will attend. Whether that choice is public, private or parochial.
In 1995, , I authored the Arizona Scholarship Tax Credit legislation, which was signed into law on April 7, 1997. Having survived opposition from the ACLU and the NEA, and having been upheld by both the Arizona and the United States Supreme Court, this legislation has funded over 200,000 scholarships for children throughout our state. Since the laws inception, Arizona taxpayers have made more than 400,000 donations, contributing in excess of $240 million.
As a member of Congress, I introduced the Childrens Hope Act, legislation which builds on the success of the Arizona Scholarship Tax Credit. The Childrens Hope Act encourages states to enact their own state scholarship tax credit. If a state enacts a scholarship tax credit of $250 or more, based upon the minimal guidelines that are outlined in the text of the legislation, all residents of that state are eligible to take part in an additional federal tax credit.
Families have waited far too long for these reforms. Americas children deserve the best education possible and Congress has an ideal opportunity to employ a proven method to help make this happen.
