S.Amdt. 2284

SA 2284. Mr. SASSE (for himself, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mr.
Cotton, and Mr. Scott of Florida) submitted an amendment intended to be
proposed by him to the bill S. 4049, to authorize appropriations for
fiscal year 2021 for military activities of the Department of Defense,
for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department
of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal
year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as
follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. __. PILOT PROGRAM ON EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNTS FOR
MILITARY DEPENDENT CHILDREN.

(a) In General.--From amounts made available under
subsection (k), the Secretary shall carry out a pilot program
under which the Secretary shall establish education savings
accounts for eligible military students to enable such
students to attend public or private elementary schools or
secondary schools selected by the students' parents.
(b) Duration.--The pilot program under this section shall
begin with the first school year that begins after the date
of enactment of this section and shall terminate at the end
of the tenth school year that begins after such date of
enactment.
(c) Scope of Program.--The Secretary shall select 5
military installations to participate in the pilot program
under this section. In making such selection, the Secretary
shall choose the military installations at which eligible
military students will derive the greatest benefit from
expanded educational options, as determined by the Secretary,
which may include considerations of--
(1) limited access to high-quality education options,
including Department of Defense Education Activity schools
and corresponding retention trends of service members with
dependents;
(2) availability, cost, and proximity of non-public
education options, including private schools and homeschool
consortia; and
(3) site capacity to design, implement, and evaluate such a
pilot. .
(d) Deposits.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall deposit funds in the
amount specified in paragraph (2) into each education savings
account established on behalf of an eligible military student
under this section.
(2) Amount of deposit.--
(A) In general.--The amount deposited into each education
savings account awarded to an eligible military student shall
be not more than $10,000 for each school year.
(B) Adjustment for inflation.--For each school year after
the first full school year of the program, the Secretary
shall adjust the amount specified in subparagraph (A) to
reflect changes for the 12-month period ending the preceding
June in the Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban
Consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the
Department of Labor.
(e) Rules of Construction.--
(1) In general.--An amount awarded to a student under this
section shall not be considered assistance to the school or
other educational provider that enrolls, or provides
educational services to, the student or the student's
parents.
(2) Not treated as income.--The amount awarded to a student
under this section shall not be treated as income to the
student or the parent of the student for purposes of Federal
tax laws or for determining eligibility for any other Federal
program.
(3) Prohibition of control over nonpublic education
providers.--Nothing in this section shall be construed--
(A) to permit, allow, encourage, or authorize any Federal
control over any aspect of any private, religious, or home
education provider, whether or not a home education provider
is treated as a private school or home school under State
law; or
(B) to exclude private, religious, or home education
providers from participation in programs or services under
this section.
(f) Eligible Uses of Funds.--Funds deposited into an
education savings account under this section for a school
year may be used by the parent of an eligible military
student to make payments to a qualified educational service
provider that is approved by the Secretary under subsection
(g) for--
(1) costs of attendance at a private elementary school or
secondary school recognized by the State, which may include a
private school that has a religious mission;
(2) online programs;
(3) tutoring services;
(4) services contracted for and provided by a public
district, charter, or magnet elementary school or secondary
school attended by the child on a less than full-time basis,
including individual classes and extracurricular activities
and programs;
(5) textbooks, curriculum programs, or other instructional
materials, including any supplemental materials required by a
curriculum program, private school, private online learning
program, or a public school, or any parent directed
curriculum associated with kindergarten through grade 12
education;
(6) educational services and therapies, including
occupational, behavioral, physical, speech-language, and
audiology therapies; or
(7) education technology needed to access remote learning,
including internet access or hotspots and computer hardware,
software, or other technological devices, including adaptive
devices, not to exceed $1,000;
(8) concurrent and dual enrollment at a postsecondary
institution, including for career and technical education
experiences;
(9) academic, college, and career counseling services;
(10) testing preparation and examination fees, including
Advanced Placement examinations, industry certification
exams, State licensure exams, and any examinations related to
college or university admission;
(11) application fees, including for public and non-public
school students;
(12) fees for summer education programs and specialized
afterschool education programs; or
(13) other education-related services and materials that
are reasonable and necessary, as approved by the Secretary.
(g) Requirements For Qualified Educational Service
Providers.--The Secretary shall establish and maintain a
registry of qualified educational service providers that are
approved to receive payments from an education savings
account established under this section. The Secretary shall
approve a qualified educational service provider to receive
such payments if the provider demonstrates to the Secretary
that it is licensed in the State in which it operates to
provide one or more of the services for which funds may be
expended under subsection (f).
(h) Participation in Online Market Place.--As a condition
of receiving funds from an education savings account, a
qualified educational service provider shall make its
services available for purchase through the online
marketplace described in subsection (i).
(i) Online Marketplace.--The Secretary shall seek to enter
into a contract with a private-sector entity under which the
entity shall--
(1) establish and operate an online marketplace that
enables the holder of an education savings account to make
direct purchases from qualified educational service providers
using funds from such account;
(2) ensure that each qualified educational service provider
on the registry maintained by the Secretary under subsection
(g) has made its services available for purchase through the
online marketplace;
(3) ensure that all purchases made through the online
marketplace are for services that are allowable uses of funds
under this section; and

[[Page S3733]]

(4) develop and make available a standardized expense
report form, in electronic and hard copy formats, to be used
by parents for reporting expenses.
(j) Reports.--
(1) Annual reports.--Not later than July 30 of the first
year of the pilot program, and each subsequent year through
the year in which the final report is submitted under
paragraph (2), the Secretary shall prepare and submit to
Congress an interim report on the accounts awarded under the
pilot program under this section that includes the content
described in paragraph (3) for the applicable school year of
the report.
(2) Final report.--Not later than 90 days after the end of
the pilot program under this section, the Secretary shall
prepare and submit to Congress a report on the accounts
awarded under the pilot program that includes the content
described in paragraph (3) for each school year of the
program.
(3) Content.--Each report under paragraphs (1) and (2)
shall identify--
(A) the number of applicants for education savings accounts
under this section;
(B) the number of elementary school students receiving
education savings accounts under this section and the number
of secondary school students receiving such savings accounts;
(C) the results of a survey, conducted by the Secretary,
regarding parental satisfaction with the education savings
account program under this section; and
(D) any other information the Secretary determines to be
necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.
(k) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section--
(1) $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2030
to establish education savings accounts; and
(2) $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2030
for administrative costs associated with operating the pilot
program established under this section.
(l) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) ESEA definitions.--The terms ``child'', ``elementary
school'', and ``secondary school'' have the meanings given
the terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(2) Eligible military student.--The term ``eligible
military student'' means a child--
(A) who is a military dependent student;
(B) whose parent works on the military installation
selected to participate in the program under this section;
and
(C) who chooses to attend a participating school or
purchase other approved education services, rather than
attending the school otherwise assigned to the child.
(3) Military dependent students.--The term ``military
dependent students'' has the meaning given the term in
section 572(e) of the National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2006 (Public Law 109-163; 20 U.S.C. 7703b(e)).
(4) Qualified educational service provider.--The term
``qualified educational service provider'' means an entity or
person that is--
(A) licensed in the State in which it operates to provide
one or more of the educational services for which funds may
be expended under subsection (f); or
(B) otherwise approved by the Secretary.
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Defense.
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