The Pennsylvania House Labor Relations Committee hosted a hearing on House Bill 2626 on August 18.

Constitutional law experts testified today that this bill – which is being pushed by labor unions – will jeopardize the constitutionally protected religious liberty of the Catholic Church and compromise its teaching mission in Catholic schools.

Below is a list of frequently asked questions about Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program. To download this post as apdf, click here. To learn more about EITC, visit the REACH Foundation online or call 877-REACH-24 (877-732-2424).

Maria will be a seventh-grader at the Cathedral School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania this fall. She spells success – EITC. A scholarship made possible by a business’s generous contribution through Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program allows her family to choose Catholic education for Maria.

The EITC, established in 2001, provides businesses with a tax credit for the donations they make to scholarship organizations, which then provide scholarships to children. In essence, it gives parents like Maria’s mom and dad the economic means to choose the learning environment they believe best meets the needs of their children, regardless of their family income. During the 2007-08 school year, 44,000 children received EITC scholarships. Since the programs inception in 2001, more than 3,600 Pennsylvania companies have participated in the EITC program donating almost $350 million to participating organizations. The EITC program currently provides $75 million for K-12 and pre-kindergarten scholarships.