Reichert and House Members Work to Provide Educators with Tax Relief

Press Release

Representatives Dave Reichert, Jim McDermott, Bob Dold, Ron Kind, Rodney Davis, David Valadao, and Bill Pascrell introduced the Educator Tax Relief Act, H.R. 2490, to make permanent the deduction allowed for educators who purchase classroom supplies out of pocket and expand the deduction to the include professional development expenses.

The members of Congress said, "Educators put a lot of time and effort into making sure our children have the opportunity to learn and grow and prepare themselves for success. It seems only fair that we do not ask them to use their own hard-earned dollars to purchase the basics needed to do their job or develop in their careers. This bill will allow us to alleviate an unnecessary financial burden and continue to invest in the education of America's children."

NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia said, "Every day, educators across America reach into their own pockets to purchase classroom supplies such as books, pencils, paper, and art supplies for their students and classrooms. The $250.00 a year educator tax deduction included in the bipartisan Educator Tax Relief Act of 2015 will make a big difference to educators who often must sacrifice their own personal needs to pay for classroom supplies. More to the point, by including an inflationary adjustment to the educator tax and making it permanent, we finally will recognize that this is an act of love and sacrifice by educators that we should support and reward."