The U.S. House of Representatives voted to reinstate District of Columbia school vouchers, reviving the only program that uses federal tax dollars to subsidize private-school tuition.
The bill, introduced by Republican House Speaker John A. Boehner, would provide up to $12,000 a year for needy students to attend private school of their choice. Democrats called it an inappropriate use of federal funds.
The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program was created in 2004 to provide $7,500 a year to about 1,700 students. Congress agreed to begin phasing it out in 2009. The new bill, which heads to the Senate, would cost $300 million over five years. The Obama administration opposes the voucher bill but has not threatened to veto it.
