Education and the Workforce

Education is the key to success. From early learning to higher education, every single student in Utah and across the country deserves access to quality education – regardless of race, income, or zip code. Rest assured, one of my top priorities is supporting students and advancing policies that make our country’s education system stronger.

As a member of the Education and the Workforce Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, I am dedicated to fostering the best opportunities for students to learn, workers to succeed, and job creators of tomorrow to thrive.

In Congress, I have:

• Introduced H.R. 8671, the RECOVER Act, legislation to allow states and school districts to use unspent Covid relief funds to issue Child Opportunity Scholarships directly to parents. These scholarships, targeted towards low-income families, could be put towards educational opportunities, including tutoring services, private school tuition, and educational therapies for children with disabilities.
• Introduced H.R. 7942, the Securing Our Students Act, legislation to redirect unused American Rescue Plan funding to help identify and implement evidence-based school safety measures.
• Led H.R. 6056, the Parents Bill of Rights Act, legislation to protect parental involvement by reinforcing their right to be heard, their right to see curriculums, and their right to be updated on any violent activity that happens on their children’s campus.
• Introduced H.R. 4698, the Say No to Indoctrination Act, legislation to prohibit the use of federal funds to teach or advance concepts that separate individuals based on race, color, or national origin
• Introduced H.R. 3943, the Modernizing Financing of Early Care and Education in America Act, legislation to establish a bipartisan commission to make recommendations to Congress on streamlining and reducing duplication in the financing of early care and education programs.
• Introduced H.R. 889, the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act, legislation to expand quality elementary, secondary, and career and technical education opportunities for students by providing a federal tax credit to encourage individuals and businesses to donate to nonprofit scholarship funds.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 8655, the Responsible Education Assistance Through Loan Reforms Act, legislation to protect students from predatory lending practices, expand access to high-quality, short-term postsecondary education, and provide targeted relief for borrowers.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 8150, the Keep Kids Fed Act, legislation to help schools weather learning disruptions, supply chain challenges, and four-decade-high inflation through targeted and temporary aid.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 8137, the Educational Choice for Children Act, legislation to allow individuals and corporations a new tax credit after 2022 for charitable contributions to tax-exempt organizations that provide scholarships to elementary and secondary school students.
• Introduced H.R. 7924, the Securing Our Students Act, legislation to authorize local educational agencies and nonpublic schools to use certain COVID-19 emergency relief funds, services, or assistance for school safety uses.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 7525, the Protecting Charter Schools From Federal Overreach Act, legislation to prohibit the Department of Education from finalizing or implementing its proposed rule that revises priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for the Charter Schools Program.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 7461, the CBE Act of 2022, legislation to create a framework under which students participating in competency-based education programs may receive federal student aid.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 7031, the Change of Ownership and Conversion Improvement Act, legislation to ensure that institutions of higher education interested in changing ownership or converting from for-profit to nonprofit or public status are not slowed down by the U.S. Department of Education’s application process.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 6565, Kids in Classes Act, legislation to allow for Title I funding to follow children if their schools close due to COVID-19 or a strike.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 6123, the Crucial Communism Teaching Act, legislation to promote understanding of certain political ideologies that conflict with principles of U.S. democracy.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 5162, CRT Transparency Act, legislation to increase curriculum transparency.
• Introduced H.R. 4698, the Say No to Indoctrination Act, legislation to keep taxpayer dollars from funding Critical Race Theory.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act, legislation to encourage local educational agencies to resume in-person instruction at elementary and secondary schools.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 605, the Student Empowerment Act, legislation to amend the part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) that increased school choice by expanding 529 accounts to include tuition for K-12 elementary and secondary schooling. 
• Co-sponsored H.R. 1097, the CHOICE Act, legislation to amend the CARES Act to require that 10% of appropriations from the Education Stabilization Fund be used for Opportunity Grants. 
• Co-sponsored H.R. 3704, the Children Have Opportunities in Classrooms Everywhere Act, legislation to provide choice in education for families to deposit education funds into a 529 account to follow their students in public school, private school, homeschool, or other qualified educational experiences.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 4967, POST Act, legislation to allow for funds to be used to promote career and technical education through social media campaigns, elementary and middle school showcases, and trade shows. 
• Co-sponsored H.R. 4764, No CRT for our Military Kids Act, legislation to prohibit funding for the Department of Defense Education Activity for CRT to be taught in schools or included in the curriculum.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 3422, the Competency-Based Education Act, legislation to provide U.S. colleges and universities with a framework to accelerate student success through mastering the subject matter rather than the amount of time spent in the classroom.
• Co-sponsored H.R. 426, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2021, legislation to make it a violation of federal law for a recipient of federal funds who operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities to permit whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.

To see a full list of legislation sponsored and supported by Congressman Owens, click here.