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Washington,
DC
–
Senator
Tim
Scott
(R-SC)
announced
that
he
has
introduced
two
pieces
of
legislation
as
part
of
his
“opportunity
agenda,”
aimed
at
refocusing
Washington
on
expanding
economic
opportunity
and
unleashing
the
potential
of
all
Americans.
Senator
Scott
has
introduced
the
Creating
Hope
and
Opportunity
for
Individuals
and
Communities
through
Education
(CHOICE)
Act
to
expand
educational
opportunities
for
children
with
disabilities,
children
living
on
military
bases,
and
children
living
in
impoverished
areas.
Click
to
view
video
“As
someone
who
grew
up
poor
and
nearly
failed
out
of
high
school,
I
know
the
importance
of
empowering
parents
and
teachers
to
make
a
difference
in
a
child’s
life,”
Scott
said.
“Kids
who
succeed
in
the
classroom
have
a
better
chance
of
succeeding
later
in
life.
Education
is
the
cornerstone
of
success,
and
the
CHOICE
Act
is
a
great
first
step
towards
ensuring
more
kids
across
our
nation
have
access
to
a
great
one.”
The
CHOICE
Act
enhances
education
opportunities
by:
· Empowering
parents
of
a
child
with
a
disability
to
choose
the
educational
path
that
best
suits
their
child’s
needs
by
providing
startup
funds
to
states
for
disability
school
choice
programs.
It
also
allows
states
that
already
have
those
programs
to
make
their
federal
funds
portable
to
maximize
education
opportunities
for
students
with
disabilities.
· Creating
a
pilot
school
choice
program
for
students
living
on
military
bases,
allowing
access
to
high-quality
education
for
children
of
families
who
put
our
country
first.
· Expanding
Washington,
DC’s
Opportunity
Scholarship
Program,
one
of
the
nation’s
greatest
experiments
in
providing
school
choice
for
underprivileged
students.
This
program
spends
just
under
$8,500
per
student
compared
with
almost
$21,000
per
student
in
DC
public
schools
and
yields
a
97
percent
graduation
rate
–
compared
to
a
district-wide
rate
of
only
56
percent.
Senator
Scott
also
introduced
the
Supporting
Knowledge
and
Investing
in
Lifelong
Skills
(SKILLS)
Act,
providing
sorely-needed
reforms
for
the
government’s
bureaucratic
maze
of
workforce
development
and
training
programs.
The
legislation
specifically
aims
to
help
low-income
workers,
individuals
with
disabilities
looking
for
work,
and
at-risk
youth
by:
· Making
job
training
more
immediately
available.
· Making
the
workforce
investment
system
more
responsive
to
the
needs
of
employers.
· Streamlining
35
separate
federal
workforce
development
programs
into
a
single
Workforce
Investment
Fund
“Let’s
make
sure
that
the
skills
people
are
obtaining
prepare
them
for
the
jobs
that
are
available,”
Scott
added.
“The
SKILLS
Act
will
help
to
ensure
that
training
programs
are
doing
what
they’re
designed
to
do
while
eliminating
duplication
and
waste.
This
bill
is
a
winner
for
workers,
employers,
and
taxpayers.”
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