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EDUCATIONAL CHOICE FOR CHILDREN ACT (ECCA)

What is the Educational Choice for Children Act?

H.R.833 / S.292 or the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) is a Federal Scholarship Tax Credit and represents the most ambitious school choice legislation in Congress, aimed at expanding educational opportunities in all 50 states.  The legislation is sponsored by Representatives Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Burgess Owens (R-UT) and Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Tim Scott (R-SC) and creates scholarships funded by private donations to non-profit scholarship granting organizations (SGOs) in the states. Donors receive a 100% non-refundable tax credit. 

Why do we need it?

School choice has made historic progress across more states than ever, but too many families are locked out of opportunity because their state legislatures are controlled by an education establishment that does not prioritize the needs of K-12 families. We need school choice in every state, which is what ECCA would ensure.

The specifics: 

  • The credits are $10 billion annually. Corporate donors may contribute 5% of their taxable income; individual donors may contribute up to 10% of their adjusted gross income or $5,000, whichever is greater. The bill includes an automatic 5% escalator if 90% of the credit cap is reached.
  • Each state is guaranteed access to up to $20 million in tax credits if SGOs can raise the funds, then it is first- come, first-serve.  Students in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. can benefit.  
  • Students in grades K-12 in every state and every school setting are eligible. The income threshold is set at 300 percent of median gross income by region as determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This would cover 85% – 90% of K-12 students in every state.   
  • SGOs determine the individual amount of scholarship awards and uses which include tuition, tutoring, education technology, on-line courses, curriculum, fees, homeschool expenses, or special needs services.  

The ECCA has no role for the U.S. Department of Education and contains no federal mandates on states, school districts, schools or homeschool families. SGOs must complete an annual audit and register with the Treasury Department. 

How Does the ECCA Help Students?

When funding for education follows students to the school of their choice, families win. All parents should have a wide range of high-quality educational options to choose from, regardless of income, which is the opportunity school choice unlocks. ECCA will help parents of up to two million students choose the school or education service that works best for their child. In states with existing private school choice offerings, the ECCA scholarship can be stacked on top of the state offering, increasing purchasing power for parents and helping more students. In states that lack these options, the ECCA will create educational opportunity for those K-12 parents and students. Students attending public, private, magnet, charter, micro, on-line, or homeschools all could benefit.

ECCA will help parents of up to two million students choose the school or education service that works best for their child.

Animated Boxed Section
Tax Credits

$10 Billion Available in Tax Credits

Students Helped

Up to 2 Million Students Helped

School Choice

Expands School Choice to All 50 States

ECCA In the News

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Op-Ed: John Schilling: Budget Reconciliation Should Help K-12 Parents and Children

Op-Ed: Tommy Schultz: 2024 was a seismic shift in American education, led by Donald Trump and Linda McMahon

Op-Ed: Sen. Katie Britt: Let’s expand K-12 education freedom to children in every state

Op-Ed: Valeria Gurr: School Choice Week Should Spur Real Action on Education Freedom

The ECCA had more than 180 House and Senate co-sponsors in 2024, the most support for any previous school choice bill at the federal level. In January 2025, sponsors re-introduced the ECCA – H.R. 833 and S. 292 – and advocates are adding new co-sponsors every week.

Congressional Co-Sponsors of the ECCA

  • Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN)
  • Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY)
  • Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
  • Sen. John Boozman (R-AR)
  • Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL)
  • Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC)
  • Sen. Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV)
  • Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR)
  • Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
  • Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
  • Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT)
  • Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
  • Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN)
  • Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO)
  • Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH)
  • Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
  • Sen. James Justice (R-WV)
  • Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA)
  • Sen. Cynthia M. Lummis (R-WY)
  • Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS)
  • Sen. David McCormick (R-PA)
  • Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH)
  • Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE)
  • Sen. James Risch (R-ID)
  • Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO)
  • Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)
  • Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT)
  • Sen. John Thune (R-SD)
  • Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC)
  • Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL)
  • Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS)
  • Sen. Todd Young (R-IN)

Arizona

  • Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-6)

California

  • Ken Calvert (R-CA-41)
  • Vince Fong (R-CA-20)
  • Kevin Kiley (R-CA-3)
  • Young Kim (R-CA-40)

Colorado

  • Jeff Hurd (R-CO-3)

Florida

  • Byron Donalds (R-FL-19)
  • Neal P. Dunn (R-FL-2)
  • Scott Franklin (R-FL-18)
  • Mike Haridopolos (R-FL-8)
  • Laurel Lee (R-FL-15)
  • John Rutherford (R-FL-5)
  • Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27)

Georgia

  • Rick W. Allen (R-GA-12
  • Mike Collins (R-GA-10)
  • Richard McCormick (R-GA-7)

Illinois

  • Darin LaHood (R-IL-16)
  • Mike Bost (R-IL-12)
  • Mary Miller (R-IL-15)

Indiana

  • Mark Messmer (R-IN-8)
  • Rudy Yakym (R-IN-2)

Iowa

  • Randy Feenstra (R-IA-4)
  • Ashley Hinson (R-IA-2)
  • Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-1)

Kansas

  • Tracey Mann (R-KS-1)

Kentucky

  • Brett Guthrie (R-KY-2)

Louisiana

  • Julia Letlow (R-LA-5)

Michigan

  • Jack Bergman (R-MI-1)
  • Bill Huizenga (R-MI-4)
  • John James (R-MI-10)
  • John R. Moolenaar (R-MI-2)
  • Tim Walberg (R-MI-5)

Minnesota

  • Brad Finstad (R-MN-1)
  • Pete Stauber (R-MN-8)

New Jersey

  • Christopher Smith (R-NJ-4)

New York

  • Michael Lawler (R-NY-17)
  • Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11)
  • Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21)
  • Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24)

North Carolina

  • Pat Harrigan (R-NC-10)
  • Richard Hudson (R-NC-9)
  • Tim Moore (R-NC-14)
  • Gregory F. Murphy (R-NC-3)
  • David Rouzer (R-NC-7)

Ohio

  • Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH-12)
  • Carey (R-OH-15)
  • Rep. Max Miller (R-OH-7)
  • Michael Rulli (R-OH-6)
  • Michael R. Turner (R-OH-10)

Oklahoma

  • Stephanie Bice (R-OK-5)
  • Kevin Hern (R-OK-1)

Pennsylvania

  • John Joyce (R-PA-13)
  • Mike Kelly (R-PA-16)
  • Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA-7)
  • Daniel Meuser (R-PA-9)
  • Lloyd Smucker (R-PA-11)

South Carolina

  • Sheri Biggs (R-SC-3)
  • Nancy Mace (R-SC-1)
  • William R. Timmons (R-SC-4)
  • Joe Wilson (R-SC-2)

Tennessee

  • David Kustoff (R-TN-8)
  • John Rose (R-TN-6)

Texas

  • Dan Crenshaw (R-TX-2)
  • Randy K. Weber Sr. (R-TX-14)

Utah

  • Blake D. Moore (R-UT-1)
  • Burgess Owens (R-UT-4)

Virginia

  • Ben Cline (R-VA-6)
  • John McGuire (R-VA-5)

Washington

  • Michael Baumgartner (R-WA-5)

Wisconsin

  • Bryan Steil (R-WI-1)

Coalition Support for the ECCA

  • Hon. Betsy DeVos, Former U.S. Secretary of Education
  • Hon. William Barr, Former U.S. Attorney General
  • Hon. Scott Walker, 45th Governor of Wisconsin
  •  The Hon. Joseph Lieberman, Former U.S. Senator, Connecticut *
  • Dr. Cade Brumley, Louisiana State Superintendent of Education
  • Gerard Robinson, Former VA Secretary of Education
  • James Bopp, National Conservative Leader
  • Jim Blew, Former Assistant U.S. Secretary of Education
  • Virginia Walden Ford, National School Choice Advocate
  • Hon. Frank Keating, Former Governor of Oklahoma
  • Dr. Patrick J. Wolf
  • Dr. Mick Zais, Former Deputy U.S. Secretary of Educatio
  • Hon. Luke Messer, Former Member of Congress and co-founder, Congressional School Choice Caucus
 * Deceased
  • ACE Scholarships
  • ACSI Children’s Education Fund (ACEF)
  • Agudath Israel of America
  • America First Policy Institute
  • American Association of Christian Schools
  • American Federation for Children (AFC)
  • American Principles Project
  • Americans for Tax Reform
  • Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)
  • Black Mothers Forum
  • Catholic Education Partners
  • CatholicVote
  • Center for Education Reform
  • Children’s Scholarship Fund
  • Club for Growth
  • Coalition for Jewish Values
  • Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee
  • U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Catholic Education (USCCB)
  • Invest in Education Coalition
  • National Association of Private Catholic & Independent Schools (NAPCIS)
  • National Catholic Education Association (NCEA)
  • Council for American Private Education (CAPE)
  • Defense of Freedom Institute (DFI)
  • Family Policy Alliance
  • Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd)
  • Freedom Foundation
  • Heartland Institute
  • Heritage Action for America
  • Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
  • Independent Women’s Forum – Education Freedom Center
  • Mountain States Policy Center
  • Orthodox Union Advocacy
  • Parental Rights Foundation
  • Parents Defending Education Action
  • Partners in Mission
  • Project 21 – Black Leadership Network
  • Protect the First
  • 60Plus Association

Alabama

  • Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund (AOSF)
  • Alabama Policy Institute (API)
  • Scholarships for Kids

Alaska

  • Alaska Family Action

Arizona

  • Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization (ACSTO)
  • Arizona Leadership Foundation
  • Institute for Better Education
  • School Tuition Organization 4 Kidz (STO4KIDZ)
  • Tuition Organization for Private Schools (T.O.P.S. for Kids)

Arkansas

  • Arkansas Family Council
  • Arkansas Parents for School Choice
  • The Arkansas Reform Alliance
  • Laurie Lee, Chair, The Arkansas Reform Alliance
  • Opportunity Arkansas

California

  • California Association of Private School Organizations
  • California Policy Center
  • Lance Izumi, JD, distinguished school choice leader

Colorado

  • Hon. Cory Gardner, former U.S. Senator, Colorado
  • Colorado Parent Advocacy Network (CPAN)
  • Independence Institute
  • Parents Challenge
  • Ready Colorado
  • The Schuck Initiatives Foundation

Connecticut

  • Kids’ Scholarship Fund

Delaware

  • Caesar Rodney Institute

Florida

  • Center Academy Schools
  • Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Georgia

  • Frontline Policy Action
  • Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO)
  • Georgia Leadership Foundation
  • Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program

Idaho

  • Idaho Family Policy Center

Illinois

  • Agudath Israel of Illinois
  • Empower Illinois
  • Illinois Policy
  • Illinois Coalition of Nonpublic Schools
  • Unique Learners Unite (ULU)
  • Ambassador Ronald Gidwitz, former Chairman, Illinois State Board of Education
  • The Urban Center
  • Big Shoulders Fund

Indiana

  • Indiana Family Institute
  • Student First Technologies

Iowa

  • The Family Leader
  • Hispanic Alliance for Choice in Education Reform
  • Iowa Alliance for Choice in Education

Kansas

  • Kansas Family Voice

Kentucky

  • Commonwealth Educational Opportunities
  • Commonwealth Policy Center
  • EdChoice Kentucky

Louisiana

  • LA Kids Matter
  • Louisiana Family Forum
  • Eddie Rispone, Founder, ACE Scholarships Louisiana
  • Rolfe McCollister, Former Member, Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors

Maryland

  • Maryland Family Institute
  • Children’s Scholarship Fund Baltimore

Massachusetts

  • Massachusetts Family Institute

Michigan

  • Albanian-American Conservative Republicans
  • Citizens for Traditional Values
  • Great Lakes Education Project
  • Mackinac Center for Public Policy
  • Michigan Association of Non-Public Schools (MANS)
  • Parent Advocates for Choice in Education (PACE)
  • St. John Lutheran School

Minnesota

  • Aim Higher Foundation
  • Minnesota Parents Alliance
  • Opportunity for All Kids (OAK)

Mississippi

  • Empower Mississippi

Missouri

  • Agudath Israel of Missouri
  • Herzog Tomorrow Foundation

Montana

  • Frontier Institute
  • Montana Leadership Foundation

New Hampshire

  • Children’s Scholarship Fund New Hampshire

New Jersey

  • Excellent Education for Everyone (E3)
  • New Jersey Family Policy Center
  • New Jersey Policy Institute
  • Jersey 1st

New York

  • Empire Center for Public Policy
  • BISON Children’s Scholarship Fund
  • Conservative Party of New York State
  • Families for NYC
  • Hon. John J. Faso, Former Member of Congress, New York
  • Partnership Schools – New York and Ohio
  • New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms
  • NYS Coalition for Independent & Religious Schools
  • New York State Council of Catholic School Superintendents

Nebraska

  • Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska

Nevada

  • Student Choice Fund of Nevada
  • Power2Parent

North Carolina

  • Parents for Educational Freedom North Carolina (PEFNC
  • Senator Phil Berger, Senate President Pro Tempore

North Dakota

  • Roughrider Policy Center
  • Hon. Kirsten Baesler, Superintendent of Public Instruction, State of North Dakota

Ohio

  • Center for Christian Virtue
  • School Choice Ohio
  • Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund (NOSF)
  • Ohio Christian Education Network

Oklahoma

  • Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA)
  • Opportunity Scholarship Fund of Oklahoma
  • Tax Credit Scholarship Program
  • Oklahoma Parents for Student Achievement (OPSA)

Oregon

  • Cascade Policy Institute
  • Education Freedom for Oregon

Pennsylvania

  • Business Leaders Organized for Catholic Schools (BLOCS)
  • Central Pennsylvania Scholarship Fund
  • Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia
  • Commonwealth Partners
  • Commonwealth Children’s Choice Fund
  • Commonwealth Foundation
  • David P. Hardy, Co-Founder, Boys’ Latin School
  • Harrisburg Families United
  • Pennsylvania Family Council
  • Pennsylvania Families for Education Choice

Rhode Island

  • Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity

South Carolina

  • Palmetto Family Council
  • Palmetto Promise Institute

South Dakota

  • South Dakota Leadership Foundation

Tennessee

  • Beacon Center of Tennessee
  • Latinos for Tennessee
  • Memphis Opportunity Scholarship Trust (MOST)

Texas

  • Texas Public Policy Foundation
  • San Antonio Coalition for School Choice

Utah

  • Children First Education Fund

Virginia

  • Hon. Winsome Earle-Sears, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
  • The Family Foundation of Virginia
  • Home Educators Association of Virginia (HEAV)
  • Middle Resolution Policy Network
  • Virginia Education Opportunity Alliance (VEOA)
  • Hon. Robert W. Goodlatte, Former Member of Congress, Virginia
  • Thomas Jefferson Institute
  • Virginia Institute for Public Policy

Washington

  • American Center for Transforming Education

Wisconsin

  • Hispanics for School Choice
  • School Choice Wisconsin
  • Wisconsin Family Action
  • Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL)

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