•HCON 114 IH 
mathematics and reading achievement of participating 
students; 
Whereas according to a 2016 study of the effects of the Lou-
isiana Scholarship Program on student achievement, a 
typical student using a voucher experiences a significant 
decrease in mathematics and reading achievement—as 
much as 24 percent in mathematics in the first year; 
Whereas the Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s evaluation of 
the Educational Choice Scholarship Program in Ohio es-
timates that the effects of participation in the voucher 
program on test scores are ‘‘unambiguously negative’’ for 
mathematics and reading; 
Whereas enrollment in private schools nationally has de-
creased steadily since 2001, and fewer students are pro-
jected to enroll in private schools in the future; 
Whereas many private schools are relying on voucher recipi-
ents to stay open; 
Whereas a 2013 report by the Government Accountability Of-
fice found that several private schools in the District of 
Columbia’s Opportunity Scholarship Program use Fed-
eral vouchers almost exclusively to serve voucher stu-
dents; 
Whereas voucher recipients in Florida make up the majority 
of students at nearly half the private schools that partici-
pate in the State’s voucher programs; 
Whereas for many churches in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that 
operate private schools, the funding they receive from pri-
vate school vouchers exceeds what parishioners donate; 
Whereas according to the Government Accountability Office’s 
2017 report, 83 percent of students enrolled in a dis-
ability voucher program were in a program that provided 
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•HCON 114 IH 
either no information or inaccurate information about 
changes in rights under the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act; 
Whereas public schools serve more than 50,000,000 students, 
more than 90 percent of elementary school and secondary 
school students in the United States; 
Whereas public schools in the United States play a central 
role in preparing generations of people to participate in 
our country’s civic society and uphold democratic values 
and a commitment to equality; 
Whereas investing in public education is critical to the future 
health of our economy, our democracy, and our country’s 
global competitiveness; 
Whereas the system of public education in the United States 
includes choice for students and families through more 
than 3,000 magnet schools, more than 6,500 public char-
ter schools, 35 States with intradistrict open enrollment 
policies, and 43 States with interdistrict enrollment poli-
cies; 
Whereas investing in public education matters; 
Whereas the resources Congress invests in public schools 
make a significant difference, especially for low-income 
students; 
Whereas the National Bureau of Economic Research found 
that, for each 10-percent increase in funding for high- 
poverty schools, students see a roughly 10-percent in-
crease in future earnings, and in addition, increased in-
vestments in high-poverty schools raise educational at-
tainment and reduce adult poverty; 
Whereas the solution to the inequities in our public education 
system is to provide a free, high-quality public education 
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•HCON 114 IH 
for all students with sufficient resources for each public 
school to give every student access to advanced course-
work, arts and music, physical education, safe school 
buildings, experienced educators, enriching afterschool 
learning opportunities, career and technical education 
programs, fully equipped libraries and computer labs, 
counselors and mental health professionals, and family 
engagement programs; 
Whereas without quality public education, there will exist a 
great divide between the educated and uneducated, cor-
responding to the divide between the rich and the poor 
and the strong and the weak; 
Whereas investing in public education is critical to student 
health as public schools serve as a lifeline for children 
who can’t access health services outside of school; and 
Whereas the solution is not to undercut the already under- 
resourced public school budgets by shifting taxpayer 
funding to private school voucher programs that exacer-
bate inequality: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) disapproves of using and expanding the use 
of Federal funds, including tax expenditures, to sub-
sidize tuition or other expenses associated with stu-
dents enrolling in private elementary schools and 
secondary schools, except for limited allowances per-
mitted in law; 
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(2) affirms that public funds should be used to 
support public elementary schools and secondary 
schools only; and 
(3) commits to increasing the investment of 
Federal funds in public elementary schools and sec-
ondary schools to reduce inequity and improve op-
portunities for all students in public elementary 
schools and secondary schools. 
Æ 
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