On Wednesday, Agudath Israel of America presented Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA) with a School Choice Champion Award for his steadfast leadership on the issue.
The award recognized Speaker Johnson’s unwavering support in advancing the historic federal scholarship tax credit (FSTC) included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law in July.
Starting in 2027, the FSTC allows individual taxpayers to contribute to a nonprofit scholarship granting organization (SGO) and receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit worth up to $1700. The SGO then pools the funds and distributes scholarships to eligible students for a wide range of K-12 educational expenses including private school tuition. This game-changing legislation has the potential to generate billions of dollars to enhance the education of children in all 50 states.
“Many people worked together to turn the Educational Choice for Children Act into the federal scholarship tax credit included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” said Rabbi A.D. Motzen, Agudath Israel of America’s national director of government affairs, “but, it could not have happened without the consistent and persistent support of Speaker Johnson.”
“In almost every meeting with our community over the last few years, the Speaker pledged to enact a federal school choice bill,” said Rabbi Yossie Charner, Agudath Israel of America’s director of Congressional affairs. “Speaker Johnson delivered on his promise and proved to be a true champion of school choice.”
Rabbi A.D. Motzen, National Director of Government Affairs, Agudath Israel of America and Rabbi Yossie Charner, Director of Congressional Affairs, Agudath Israel of America, presenting House Speaker Mike Johnson with a School Choice Champion Award.
Photo Credits: Office of Speaker Mike Johnson