WASHINGTON – On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), along with Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), reintroduced the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act to ensure that low-income students and parents in the District of Columbia have continued choice and increased opportunity for high-quality education through the Opportunity Scholarship Program. This bill will continue federal support for D.C.’s public and charter schools and provide low-income students with the opportunity to attend accredited private schools.
As a leading advocate for school choice and educational freedom, Sen. Johnson held hearings in November 2015 and February 2019 to bring attention to the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. Sen. Johnson also led the introduction of the SOAR Reauthorization Act of 2019 and the SOAR Permanent Authorization Acts on 2019 and 2021. This week, Sen. Johnson joined his colleagues for the ninth year in introducing a resolution designating the week of January 22 through January 28, 2023 as National School Choice Week.
“Parents should be empowered to choose the best type of education for their children, regardless of their zip code. This legislation ensures federal funding for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program that has helped thousands of students from low-income households attain a graduation rate 21 percentage points higher than comparable students. I sincerely hope my colleagues will join our bipartisan group in supporting a program that gives families the opportunity to pursue a high-quality education for their children,” said Sen. Johnson.
The full text of the bill can be found here.
