Jennifer
Cubachi
3/30/2011
Today, the House of Representatives voted 225-195 to allocate $20 million to the D.C. Opportunity Scholarships Program. The program was put to a halt in 2009. If the bill passes the senate, and is signed by the president, the program will reopen to new applicants.
Speaker Boehner was one of the principal advocates for the measure eight years ago, and got emotional when it came to the vote today.
Via Politico:
Boehner choked up during brief comments on the House floor urging lawmakers to vote for the measure on Wednesday afternoon, pausing twice to collect himself.
“I think all of you know this issue is important to me. I’ll tell you this: this is not about me,” he said. “Instead of just throwing money at the problem, let’s empower children from lower income families to choose the school that’s right for them.”
Representative Mike Pence gives a passionate speech about the importance of this voucher program to parents in the DC area and how important it is to give school choice to parents when it comes to the education of their children.
