ACTION NEEDED: On March 29, 2019, H.R.1994 SECURE Act was introduced, and as a part of this bill, language was inserted to expand the use of Section 529 Education Savings Accounts* to qualified homeschool expenses.

(On February 12, 2019, WPA asked for action on H.R.65 Enhancing Educational Opportunities for Home School Students Act and H.R.621/S.157 Student Empowerment Act. Read more about it below.)

Please call or email your Representative and Senators and respectfully ask them to REMOVE from H.R.1994 SECURE Act the language referring to Section 529 Education Savings Accounts being used for homeschool expenses. You may also wish to call or email the co-sponsors and explain why you are opposed to this particular part of the bill. (Since this is federal legislation, there is no need to contact your state Senator or Representative at this time.)

• Currently in Wisconsin, the administrators of a home-based private education (homeschool) program, and they alone, determine what is considered educational and what type of curriculum they include in their homeschool program.
• The biggest concern for Wisconsin homeschoolers is that this allows the federal government to determine what is considered an educational expense by defining a “qualified expense.”
• Defining what is considered a legitimate (and qualified) homeschooling expense will limit the freedom of homeschoolers in Wisconsin, and if homeschoolers took advantage of this program, they would have to answer to the federal government as well as the state government to show that the homeschooling expenses they claim are acceptable.
• Let your Representative and Senators know that Wisconsin’s homeschool law is working and homeschoolers do not want special treatment or favors.

U.S. Representative and Senator contact information can be found here.

Please consider becoming a member of WPA so that you can be among the first to know about important homeschooling news in Wisconsin.

When we speak with one voice we are heard.

*Definition of 529 Education Savings Account, “What is a 529 Account? From Quora: A 529 is a savings or investment account for education expenses. It combines some of the tax advantages of an IRA or similar retirement account with a different goal: Paying for your (or, more likely, your kids’) education. Earnings (the interest or capital gains) in the account are sheltered from taxes.”