Bill · S. 1810· Senate(119-S-1810)
Universal School Choice Act
- Introduced
- 5/20/2025
- Last activity
- 5/20/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Sponsored by
- Ted Cruz
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Universal School Choice Act creates a new tax credit for individuals and corporations who donate to scholarship granting organizations. These organizations provide scholarships to eligible elementary and secondary students to cover various educational expenses, including tuition, books, and even homeschooling costs. The bill establishes a national volume cap for these credits and dictates how funds are allocated among the States. It also includes provisions to ensure scholarship granting organizations operate with a level of independence from government control. Finally, the Act clarifies that these scholarships are not included in a student's gross income.
Yes· 3 of 14
Does this make it easier to use public money at a school other than the local one?+10
The entire bill is designed to expand and facilitate school choice through tax credits and scholarships.
Would students be better off under this?+8
The bill expands financial access to various educational opportunities for students.
Would children be better off under this?+7
The bill provides resources for elementary and secondary students' education.
The opposite
Does this put more money into public schools?-2
The bill emphasizes private/religious school choice, which some argue diverts focus from public school systems.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Tax relief for donors: Individuals can receive a tax credit for their contributions, limited to either 10 percent of their adjusted gross income or $5,000 (Section 2, subsection a, paragraph 1).
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Support for educational expenses: Scholarships can be used for a wide variety of needs, including tuition, books, software, tutoring from licensed professionals, and educational therapies for students with disabilities (Section 2, subsection c, paragraph 3).
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Support for homeschooling: The bill explicitly includes expenses for homeschooling under the definition of qualified educational expenses (Section 2, subsection c, paragraph 3, subparagraph B).
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Tax-free scholarship income: Scholarships provided by these organizations for qualified expenses are not included in the recipient's gross income (Section 4, subsection a).
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Protection of educational autonomy: The Act prevents government entities from controlling scholarship organizations or private/religious schools, and prevents them from excluding expenses based on a school's religious character (Section 5, subsection a, paragraphs 2 and 3).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Credit limitations for taxpayers: The tax credit is subject to caps, which may limit the amount of relief an individual can receive (Section 2, subsection a, paragraph 1, subparagraph B).
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Potential for reduced credits due to state benefits: The federal tax credit can be reduced if the taxpayer also receives a credit on their State tax return for the same contributions (Section 2, subsection a, paragraph 1, subparagraph B, clause 3).
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Restrictions on scholarship use: Scholarship organizations are prohibited from earmarking contributions for specific students at the direction of a donor (Section 2, subsection d, paragraph 1, subparagraph D).
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Prohibition on family payments: Scholarships cannot be used for services provided by an individual who has a specific family relationship to the student (Section 2, subsection c, paragraph 3, subparagraph C).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Students+8Good For Children+7Good For People With Disabilities+6Good For Low Income Households+5Good For Middle Class Households+4Good For Business Owners+3Good For High Income Households+3
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Religious Freedom+7Improves Disability Rights+5Improves Poverty Reduction+3
- Education And Technology
- Improves School Choice+10Increases Public School Funding-2
- Governance And Ideology
- Increase States Rights+4Increases Federal Power+2
- Economy And Finance
- Reduces Middle Class Taxes+3
- 5/22/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/20/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
John CornynRepublican · Texas