Education

Federal File

January 19, 2000 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Showdown countdown

Education savings accounts will again figure prominently among Republicans’ proposals in the House this year, and party leaders are already scheduling a showdown with the White House.

Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., wants a savings-accounts plan to be the second item voted on during the upcoming second session of the 106th Congress.

It is one of three major tax-relief proposals that the speaker has announced will be top priorities; he wants the first vote of the session to be on eliminating the so-called marriage tax.

Rep. J. Dennis Hastert

“This is only the start of our agenda to make certain that we secure the blessings of prosperity for our children into the next century, but I think it is a good start,” Mr. Hastert said this month in a speech announcing his party’s priorities.

House GOP aides are working on the details of this year’s initiative, but the plan will likely look a lot like last year’s legislation, according to Mr. Hastert’s office. Aides expect the House vote to occur shortly after the House convenes late this month, and no later than April.


Last year’s legislation would have allowed parents to set aside up to $2,000 in tax-free accounts to cover public and private K-12 education costs. Currently, parents may set aside up to $500 in such accounts for higher education expenses only.

President Clinton vetoed the plan along with a larger GOP tax-relief package last September. Mr. Clinton and most other Democrats view such credits as a threat to public education funding.

But the savings accounts have strong support from most Republicans in the Senate.

Mr. Clinton would likely veto another such bill, according to Erica Lepping, the spokeswoman for the Department of Education.

—Joetta L. Sack federal@epe.org

A version of this article appeared in the January 19, 2000 edition of Education Week

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read