I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 778 
To expand school choice in the District of Columbia. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 24, 2019 
Mr. MEADOWS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Oversight and Reform 
A BILL 
To expand school choice in the District of Columbia. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Educational Freedom 
Accounts Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTERING ENTITY.—The term ‘‘ad-
ministering entity’’ means the entity that receives 
the contract under section 3(a) for a fiscal year. 
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(2) CHIEF
FINANCIAL
OFFICER.—The term 
‘‘chief financial officer’’ means the Chief Financial 
Officer of the District of Columbia. 
(3) ELIGIBLE
CHILD.—The term ‘‘eligible 
child’’ means a child— 
(A) who is a resident of the District of Co-
lumbia; 
(B) who is eligible to receive a free public 
education in the District of Columbia; 
(C) who— 
(i) was enrolled in a public school or 
preschool program of the District of Co-
lumbia, including a charter school, during 
the previous school year; 
(ii) received an education savings ac-
count under this Act for the preceding 
school year; 
(iii) received an opportunity scholar-
ship under section 3007(a) of the Scholar-
ships for Opportunity and Results Act for 
the preceding school year; or 
(iv) is entering prekindergarten or 
kindergarten; 
(D) whose parent chooses to not enroll the 
child in a public elementary school, secondary 
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school, or prekindergarten program for the 
school year for which the child will receive a 
scholarship under section 4; and 
(E) whose parent does not submit a notifi-
cation of home schooling described in section 
5202 of title 5, Code of the District of Colum-
bia Regulations (or any successor notification) 
to the Office of the State Superintendent of 
Education of the District of Columbia for any 
year for which the parent enters into an agree-
ment under section 4(a)(2)(B). 
(4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 
(5) PARENT.—The term ‘‘parent’’ means the 
guardian, custodian, or other person with the au-
thority to act on behalf of a child. 
(6) 
PARTICIPATING
PROVIDER.—The 
term 
‘‘participating provider’’ means an entity that— 
(A) is— 
(i) a nonpublic school located in the 
District of Columbia that provides edu-
cation 
to 
prekindergarten, 
elementary 
school, or secondary school students; 
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(ii) a public school, including a char-
ter school, located in the District of Co-
lumbia, except only with respect to pro-
viding individual courses or extracurricular 
activities described in section 4(c)(1)(E) or 
transportation 
described 
in 
section 
4(c)(1)(I) to such services; 
(iii) a tutor or tutoring facility; 
(iv) a nonpublic provider of distance 
or online learning; 
(v) a therapy center or other provider 
of special education or disability services; 
(vi) an institution of higher education 
located in the District of Columbia; or 
(vii) an entity that provides edu-
cational services or products; 
(B) notifies the administering entity of the 
entity’s intent to become a participating pro-
vider; and 
(C) agrees, as a condition of receiving 
funds from an education savings account estab-
lished under section 4, to comply with the re-
quirements of this Act. 
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SEC. 3. CONTRACT AUTHORIZED. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with the 2019–2020 
school year, the Chief Financial Officer shall carry out this 
Act for each school year by awarding a contract to 1 entity 
described in subsection (b) to enable the administering en-
tity to carry out the program under section 4 for all eligi-
ble children in the District of Columbia. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—In order to be eligible for a con-
tract under this section, an entity shall be— 
(1) exempt from Federal income tax pursuant 
to 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; 
(2) based within the District of Columbia; and 
(3) able to demonstrate an ability to meet all 
requirements of this Act. 
(c) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity desiring a con-
tract under this section shall submit an application to the 
Chief Financial Officer at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Chief Financial Officer 
may require. 
(d) 
ADMINISTRATIVE
EXPENSES.—From 
the 
amounts made available under the contract described in 
subsection (a), the administering entity may reserve an 
amount that is not greater than the sum of 5 percent of 
the funds allocated under section 4(a)(4) for each eligible 
child with an education savings account, to be used by the 
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