Rep. Brown, Sen. Brown Introduce Bill To Quadruple The Educators' Tax Deduction

Statement

Congressman Anthony G. Brown (MD-04) and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act, H.R. 7395, which would quadruple the amount educators are able to deduct from their taxes for out-of-pocket classroom expenses. The current deduction is $250, the legislation would increase that to $1,000 and continue to index it to inflation.

According to the Department of Education, 94 percent of public school teachers reportedly paid for classroom supplies without reimbursement, with nearly 1 in 10 reportedly spending more than $1,000 each year. Educators showed once again how indispensable they are to our communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers are paid far too little -- on average 20 percent less than similarly-skilled professionals -- and are also too often asked to cover classroom expenses.

State spending on education has plummeted since the Great Depression. Increasing this deduction recognizes the personal sacrifices so many educators make to ensure our children have the tools to learn.

"With kids back in the classrooms, educators are still being asked to cover basic classroom expenses out-of-pocket. Educators in our communities always put our children first and it's long past time to show our gratitude by expanding this deduction," said Congressman Brown. "As we return to the classroom, increasing teacher pay and education budgets as well as ensuring educators and students have the tools they need is vital to closing the achievement gap. We need to be doing everything possible to support teachers and educators in providing the quality education that every child deserves, no matter their background or zip code."

"Teachers work as hard as anyone -- often harder -- to support our students, yet they aren't paid nearly the salaries and benefits they deserve, and they often spend hundreds of dollars of their hard-earned money on supplies for their classrooms," said Senator Brown. "Ohio educators shouldn't have to dip into their too-small paychecks simply to do their jobs. We need to allow teachers to deduct more of those costs from their taxes, so they can focus on educating the next generation of Americans."

Original House cosponsors include; Reps. Colin Allred (TX-32), Karen Bass (CA-37), Susan Bonamici (OR-01), Shontel Brown (OH-11), André Carson (IN-07), Sean Casten (IL-06), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Jim Langevin (RI-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), Katie Porter (CA-45), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Darren Soto (FL-09), Tom Suozzi (NY-03), Bennie Thompson (MS-02) Juan Vargas (CA-51) and Frederica Wilson (FL-24).

Original Senate cosponsors include; Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).

The "Educators Expense Deduction" Act is endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT), National Education Association (NEA), Ohio Education Association (OEA), and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

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