Paul Urges Speaker to Bring Excellence in Education up for a Vote

FOR RELEASE: April 15, 2000

Washington, D.C. - This week, Congressman Ron Paul wrote to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert urging him to reschedule a vote on the "Education Savings and School Excellence Act" (HR 7) that was pulled from the calendar last week only a few hours before the scheduled vote. A key aspect to the bill is that it expands the annual contribution limit to education savings accounts from $500 to $2,000. It also allows the funds to be used for education related expenses for all grade levels. Currently, the accounts are limited to higher education expenses only.

Paul said, "Under HR 7, a parent who puts aside $2,000 a year would have more than $14,000 to devote to their child's education by the time the child is ready for first grade. Mr. Speaker, imagine how much stronger American education would be if parents had thousands of dollars to spend on their children's elementary education."

"Few proposals considered by this Congress will do as much to benefit American children as Education Savings Accounts for all levels of schooling," said Paul. "HR 7 will help awaken the generosity of the American people by giving them an increased opportunity to invest in K-12 education. HR 7 will also begin to provide more equitable opportunities for children to receive the best possible education."

Paul said he believes the key to education reform lies in giving the American people greater control over the education system by allowing them to devote more of their own resources toward their children's education. He called on the Speaker to request a roll call vote, so that each member of the House will be forced to make a choice between standing up for America's children or standing up for the status-quo in Washington.

"Surely, Mr. Speaker, the American people deserve to know which members of Congress favor cutting taxes to give them greater control over education and which ones prefer to maintain Washington's control over the education dollar," said Paul. "I therefore respectfully urge you to bring HR 7 to the floor for a roll-call vote, and I call on my colleagues to join me in helping millions of children obtain a quality education by voting for the 'Education Savings and School Excellence Act.'"