The Creating Hope and Opportunity for Individuals and Communities through Education Act, or CHOICE Act, aims to expand educational opportunities and parental choice. Title I amends the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act to clarify eligibility for **opportunity scholarships** for low-income students in the District of Columbia, ensuring those enrolled or planning to enroll in public or private elementary or secondary schools are covered. Title II focuses on **Education Portability for Individuals with Disabilities**, allowing states to establish "parent option programs" under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These programs permit the use of federal IDEA funds to supplement public or private funds for a child's private school attendance, provided parents make a genuine independent choice. Importantly, exercising this option fulfills the state's IDEA obligation for that child, and participating private schools are not required to adhere to IDEA requirements for them. State parent option programs must ensure the child has a disability and allow parents to receive funds or tax credits for private school costs. Participating schools must be accredited and academically accountable, and while generally prohibiting discrimination, religious schools may apply sex discrimination prohibitions inconsistently with their tenets and maintain their religious mission and employment practices. Title III establishes a five-year **Military Scholarship Program** to provide high-quality education for children of military personnel on selected installations, aiming to improve military retention. Administered by the Secretary of Defense, this pilot program awards scholarships to eligible military students, capped at the lesser of actual costs or $8,000 for elementary and $12,000 for secondary students, adjusted for inflation. Payments are made to parents, and recipients are selected randomly if demand exceeds availability. The program includes similar non-discrimination provisions and protections for religious schools as those in Title II. The bill authorizes $10 million annually for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 for these scholarships, with an equivalent amount offset from the Department of Education's salaries and expenses budget.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Education
CHOICE Act
USA119th CongressS-487| Senate
| Updated: 2/6/2025
The Creating Hope and Opportunity for Individuals and Communities through Education Act, or CHOICE Act, aims to expand educational opportunities and parental choice. Title I amends the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act to clarify eligibility for **opportunity scholarships** for low-income students in the District of Columbia, ensuring those enrolled or planning to enroll in public or private elementary or secondary schools are covered. Title II focuses on **Education Portability for Individuals with Disabilities**, allowing states to establish "parent option programs" under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These programs permit the use of federal IDEA funds to supplement public or private funds for a child's private school attendance, provided parents make a genuine independent choice. Importantly, exercising this option fulfills the state's IDEA obligation for that child, and participating private schools are not required to adhere to IDEA requirements for them. State parent option programs must ensure the child has a disability and allow parents to receive funds or tax credits for private school costs. Participating schools must be accredited and academically accountable, and while generally prohibiting discrimination, religious schools may apply sex discrimination prohibitions inconsistently with their tenets and maintain their religious mission and employment practices. Title III establishes a five-year **Military Scholarship Program** to provide high-quality education for children of military personnel on selected installations, aiming to improve military retention. Administered by the Secretary of Defense, this pilot program awards scholarships to eligible military students, capped at the lesser of actual costs or $8,000 for elementary and $12,000 for secondary students, adjusted for inflation. Payments are made to parents, and recipients are selected randomly if demand exceeds availability. The program includes similar non-discrimination provisions and protections for religious schools as those in Title II. The bill authorizes $10 million annually for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 for these scholarships, with an equivalent amount offset from the Department of Education's salaries and expenses budget.