September 10, 2024
Rep. Jason Smith, Chairman
Committee on Ways & Means
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 

Dear Chairman Smith, 

We write to you on behalf of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America – the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization – to express our support for the Educational Choice for Children Act (H.R.9462) and urge the Ways & Means Committee to report it favorably out of tomorrow’s mark up hearing. 

The ECCA will help hundreds of thousands of students across the U.S. access greater educational opportunities by catalyzing huge new investments in K-12 education through private, charitable donations.  The ECCA is modeled on successful bipartisan programs in states such as Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida and 20 others. In those states, analogous programs have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in educational scholarships supporting students and their families. 

The ECCA empowers and supports the ability of parents to guide their children’s education by enabling them to choose the best school for their child and/or obtain critical educational resources such as tutoring, special ed services, technology tools and more. 

Our community’s families have benefitted immensely from education scholarship tax credit programs in the states where they exist – it is time to bring Federal resources to this arena. 

We urge you and the Committee to approve the Educational Choice for Children Act and hope it will receive a vote on the House floor very soon. 

Sincerely, 

Nathan J. Diament
Isaac Pretter