South Michigan News

Representatives Tim Walberg (R-MI), Adrian Smith (R-NE), Burgess Owens (R-UT), and Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Tim Scott (R-SC) have sent letters to the governors of all 50 states and the mayor of the District of Columbia. The lawmakers are urging state leaders to opt in to a new federal scholarship tax credit initiative that would allow students, parents, and scholarship granting organizations (SGOs) in their states to participate.

"This innovative credit will unlock billions of private dollars to fund scholarships for K-12 students across the country, including in your state," the lawmakers write. "By participating, you can give countless students the chance to pursue the education they deserve—without any new state spending and without new mandates or added bureaucracy."

"Importantly, this tax credit complements existing state-level education programs," the lawmakers continue. "It will not impact federal or state education funding or diminish public schools. Instead, it gives families more options—whether in public or private, religious or non-religious settings—and allows students to either pursue new opportunities or enrich their current education."

The full letter is available for public viewing.

The initiative stems from a provision in the Working Families Tax Cuts legislation, which was enacted into law on July 4, 2025. This provision is based on the Educational Choice for Children Act and marks the first federal school choice program to become law. Governors are required each year to designate participating SGOs to make scholarship opportunities available to students in their states. Although the tax credit will officially launch on January 1, 2027, early participation is encouraged to provide certainty to students and SGOs.

Tim Walberg, one of the lawmakers leading this effort, has represented Michigan’s 5th district in the U.S. Congress since 2011, after replacing Mark Schauer. Before his tenure in Congress, Walberg served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1983 to 1999. Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1951, Walberg currently lives in Tipton and is a graduate of Taylor University with a BA degree.