Skip to main content
S 157 116th Congress Senate Taxation Academic performance and assessments Elementary and secondary education Higher education Income tax exclusion Special education Student aid and college costs Teaching, teachers, curricula

Student Empowerment Act

Introduced: January 16, 2019 Introduced by: Cruz, Ted Republican · Texas See on congress.gov
Sign in to write a letter Sign in to watch
This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jan 16, 2019
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Jan 16, 2019
Introduced in Senate
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Student Empowerment Act

This bill allows tax-exempt distributions from qualified tuition programs (known as 529 plans) to be used for additional educational expenses in connection with enrollment or attendance at an elementary or secondary school.

(Under current law, distributions in connection with an elementary or secondary school are limited to tuition for a public, private, or religious school.) The bill allows the distributions to be used for additional educational expenses, including

  • curriculum and curricular materials,
  • books or other instructional materials,
  • online educational materials,
  • tutoring or educational classes outside the home,
  • testing fees,
  • fees for dual enrollment in an institution of higher education, and
  • educational therapies for students with disabilities.

Distributions may also be used for tuition and the purposes above in connection with a homeschool (whether treated as a homeschool or a private school under state law).

What's happening now January 16, 2019

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 Related & companion bills 3
  • S 4537 Related bill RECOVERY Act
  • S 4775 Related bill Delivering Immediate Relief to America’s Families, Schools and Small Businesses Act
  • HR 621 Identical bill Student Empowerment Act
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 7
All 7 Republican 7
R
Scott, Tim
South Carolina · Jul 25, 2019
 R
Scott, Rick
Florida · Jul 23, 2019
 R
Cotton, Tom
Arkansas · Jan 16, 2019
 R
Johnson, Ron
Wisconsin · Jan 16, 2019
 R
Lankford, James
Oklahoma · Jan 16, 2019
 R
Lee, Mike
Utah · Jan 16, 2019
 R
Paul, Rand
Kentucky · Jan 16, 2019
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 157: Student Empowerment Act. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-157/
MLA
"S. 157: Student Empowerment Act." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-157/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 157, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-157/.
Markdown link
[S. 157: Student Empowerment Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-157/)
Report a problem