News from the
Committee on Education and the Workforce
John Boehner, Chairman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2003

          WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. House of Representatives later today is expected to vote on a bill that includes language extending a popular teacher tax deduction that allows school teachers to take a tax deduction of up to $250 a year for classroom expenses they pay out of their own pockets. The deduction, informally dubbed the "Crayola credit" by Republican supporters, was enacted by President Bush and Congress in February 2002, a month after the signing of the No Child Left Behind Act.

          House Education & the Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner (R-OH) praised Republican members of the House Ways & Means Committee for taking action to preserve and extend the teacher tax deduction, which President Bush and House Republicans, led by Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI), have also proposed expanding to $400 per year.

          "We need to give good teachers as many tools as possible to help them do their jobs," Boehner said. "Virtually every school teacher in America pays money out of his or her own pocket for classroom materials, for everything from crayons and markers to books and software. Teachers should be allowed to deduct those expenses, which are a direct investment in the education of our nation's children."

          President Bush and the GOP Congress have provided a major increase in federal teacher quality funding since President Bush took office, an increase of more than 35 percent over the level provided to states and schools under President Clinton, and linked that funding for the first time ever to accountability for results. As a result of the No Child Left Behind Act, annual congressional appropriations for teacher quality grants to states have jumped from $787 million (the final level provided under President Clinton) to $2.93 billion, the amount provided under the FY 2003 spending bill signed this year by President Bush.

          Also with the President's backing, the House this year passed legislation by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) that would expand maximum federal student loan forgiveness from $5,000 a year to $17,500 a year for math, science, and special education teachers and reading specialists who teach for five years in disadvantaged school districts. On April 30, 2003, the House passed legislation by Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) that would reduce the paperwork burden on teachers imposed currently under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

          House Republicans in 2003 also passed legislation to strengthen teacher-training programs at America’s teacher colleges. The Ready to Teach Act (H.R. 2211) authored by Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA), reauthorizes teacher-training programs under the Higher Education Act to ensure that the teachers of tomorrow are prepared to meet the needs of the nation’s students, and are highly qualified.

          House Republicans, led by Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM), have also introduced legislation to provide a major tax credit for all highly qualified teachers who teach in Title I schools.