S. 235: CHOICE Act

115th Congress · introduced 2017-01-24 · Education · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-01-24 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Scott, Tim [R-SC] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

CHOICE Act

Plain summary

Creating Hope and Opportunity for Individuals and Communities through Education Act or the CHOICE Act This bill amends the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act to include among the eligibility criteria for opportunity scholarships, a requirement that a student in Washington, DC is enrolled, or will be enrolled for the next school year, in a public or private elementary or secondary school. (Opportunity scholarships are provided to low-income DC students to enable them to attend a participating private school of their choice.) The bill also amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to allow states that have established a program which allows the parents of disabled children to use public or private funds for assistance with the cost of their children attending a private school, to supplement those funds with their allocation of federal special education funds. The bill authorizes grants to support the design and initial implementation of state programs that allow the parents of a disabled child to make a choice of the appropriate public or private school for their child. The Department of Defense (DOD)must carry out a five-year pilot program to award scholarships to enable military dependent students who live on military installations to attend the public or private elementary or secondary schools their parents choose.DOD must select at least five military installations to participate in the program and choose those where military students would benefit from expanded education options. The Department of Education must return to the Treasury specified amounts made available for salaries and expenses.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

CHOICE Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Scott, Tim [R-SC] · 9 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Mitch McConnell (R-KY), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Roger F. Wicker (R-MS), John Boozman (R-AR)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Scott, Tim [R-SC] reported raising $6.7 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115s235.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/s>

Record fed-us-cong115-s235 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115