House Passes DC Voucher Bill To Reinstate Funds Cut Off By Obama Administration

The Washingtoon Post reported that the "the House is expected to approve a bill Wednesday afternoon that would revive and expand the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, as President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) stake out opposing sides on the school choice plan. Under the program, which began in 2004, low-income District students are given federal money to help pay for private school tuition. Democrats closed the program to new entrants in 2009. But Boehner’s bill – known as the SOAR Act – would reopen it, offering $20 million annually for five years for new scholarships, along with another $20 million apiece for D.C. charter schools and traditional D.C. public schools."

The House Speaker took the unusual step of sponsoring this local D.C. voucher bill himself, and he was right to do so. The bill has passed, with just one Democrat voting yes, and a handful of Republicans voting no. Tweet