U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) on Aug. 3 led 10 of his Republican colleagues in introducing legislation that would allow unspent educational funds under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to be used for addressing pandemic-related learning loss through Child Opportunity Scholarships.
“States and school districts have only spent a fraction of the education funds they received through the Democrats’ American Rescue Plan — leaving kids helpless as they struggle to recover from academic setbacks,” Sen. Scott said. “It’s clear that big-government bailouts won’t solve our education crisis.”
The senator sponsored the Raising Expectations with Child Opportunity Vouchers for Educational Recovery (RECOVER) Act, S. 4753, with original cosponsors including U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA). U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) on Aug. 4 also signed on as a cosponsor of the bill.
If enacted, the unspent funds used in Child Opportunity Scholarships would go directly to parents, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Scott’s office. The scholarships would be targeted to low-income families, who could use them for tutoring services, private school tuition, books and other curriculum materials, testing fees, and educational therapies for children with disabilities, the summary says.
The RECOVER Act allows American Rescue Plan funds to flow to parents, added Sen. Scott. “I urge all of my colleagues to join me on this bill that would empower parents to help their kids thrive once again.”
According to Sen. Scott’s office, companion legislation will be introduced by U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT). “I am proud to introduce the RECOVER Act with Senator Scott to bring parents off the sidelines of their kid’s education by allowing states to reallocate billions in unspent dollars so that low-income students can receive the targeted support they need to reach their God-given potential,” said Owens.