When the One Big Beautiful Bill Act came up for a vote on the Senate floor on July 1 of last year, 50 senators voted for it, and 50 senators voted against it. Vice President JD Vance had to cast the tie-breaking vote in that chamber -- so the bill could go back to the House for a final vote.

In the House, it narrowly passed 218-214.

Not one Democrat voted for it in either chamber.

President Donald Trump signed it into law on July 4, 2025.

One provision in this narrowly passed law had the potential to help school children all across the country. It was the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program. This program, now set to begin in 2027, will give Americans a nonrefundable tax credit of up to $1,700 per year for making donations to support school-choice scholarships set up in the states.

"Under the program," explains the Congressional Research Service, "taxpayers will be eligible to receive a tax credit of up to $1,700 for the value of cash contributions to certain (SET ITAL)scholarship granting organizations(END ITAL) (SGOs). These organizations, in turn, will be required to use these contributions to grant scholarships to students at private and public elementary and secondary schools located within their states."

Recipients of these scholarships would be subject to a family income limit. "Eligibility for scholarships," said the CRS, "will be limited to students whose family income is below 300% of their area median income."

Recipients will be able to use the money from these scholarships to cover basic educational costs, including tuition and books, at elementary and secondary schools, whether they are "public, private or religious."

Whether or not to participate in this school-choice........

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