Home School Opportunities Make Education Sound Act of 2008

I was just doing my monthly THOMAS check and found this bill that was introduced on June 3, 2008. Although tax credits may sound like a good idea, I hope that we can come together and take a long hard look at this bill to see if there are any strings attached and make sure that it doesn’t pull us into areas that would cause us harm down the line.

Larry and Susan Kaseman wrote, Are Tax Credits for Educational Expenses a Good Idea for Homeschoolers? in 1998. It is just as relavant today as it was ten years ago. They wrote:

Tax credits for homeschooling expenses are one more example of an idea that might sound good at first, but further examination shows that they would end up diminishing our homeschooling freedoms. In addition, tax credits would be carefully structured so that no family would get very much money. As homeschoolers committed to maintaining our homeschooling freedoms, we need to seriously consider opposing tax credits for homeschooling expenses.

Here is the text of the bill:

Home School Opportunities Make Education Sound Act of 2008
(Introduced in Senate)
S 3076 IS
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3076
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a tax deduction for itemizers and nonitemizers for expenses relating to home schooling.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 3, 2008
Mr. VITTER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

A BILL
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a tax deduction for itemizers and nonitemizers for expenses relating to home schooling.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Home SchoolOpportunities Make Education Sound Act of 2008′.
SEC. 2. ITEMIZER DEDUCTION FOR HOME SCHOOL EDUCATION EXPENSES.
(a) In General- Part VII of subchapter B of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to additional itemized deductions for individuals) is
amended–
(1) by redesignating section 224 as section 225, and
(2) by inserting after section 223 the following new section:
`SEC. 224. HOME SCHOOL EDUCATION EXPENSES.
`(a) Allowance of Deduction- In the case of an individual, there shall be allowed as a deduction for the taxable year an amount equal to the qualified home
schooleducation expenses paid by the taxpayer during the taxable year on behalf of each qualifying child of the taxpayer.
`(b) Maximum Deduction- The deduction allowed by subsection (a) for the taxable year shall not exceed the lesser of–
`(1) $500 for any qualifying child of the taxpayer, and
`(2) $2,000 in the aggregate for all qualifying children of the taxpayer.
`(c) Definitions- For purposes of this section–
`(1) QUALIFYING CHILD- The term `qualifying child’ has the meaning given to such term in section 24(c).
`(2) QUALIFIED HOME SCHOOLEDUCATION EXPENSES-
`(A) IN GENERAL- The term `qualified home schooleducation expenses’ means expenses for–
`(i) books, supplies, and other equipment necessary for a course of instruction in a classroom environment,
`(ii) academic tutoring,
`(iii) special needs services for qualifying children with disabilities (within the meaning of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990),
and
`(iv) any computer technology or equipment (as defined in section 170(e)(6)(F)(i)) or Internet access and related services, if such
technology, equipment, or services are to be used by the qualifying child and the qualifying child’s family during any of the years that the
qualifying child is educated in an elementary or secondary home school(not including computer equipment designed for sports, games, or
hobbies unless such equipment is primarily educational in nature),
in connection with a course of instruction in an elementary or secondary home school.
`(B) ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY HOME SCHOOL- The term `elementary or secondary home school’includes any home schoolthat
meets the requirements of State law applicable to such homeschools and that provides elementary education or secondary education
(kindergarten through grade 12), whether or not such home schoolis deemed a private schoolfor purposes of State law.
`(d) Special Rules-
`(1) DENIAL OF DOUBLE BENEFIT- Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), no deduction shall be allowed under subsection (a) for any
expense for which a deduction or credit is allowed to the taxpayer under any other provision of this chapter.
`(2) ADJUSTMENT FOR COVERDELL EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNT DISTRIBUTIONS AND HOPE AND LIFETIME LEARNING
CREDITS- The amount of qualified home schooleducation expenses taken into account under subsection (a) with respect to a qualifying child for a
taxable year shall be reduced by the sum of–
`(A) the amount of any credit allowed under section 25A with respect to such child for such taxable year, and
`(B) any amounts excludable under section 530(d)(2) for such taxable year by reason of the qualified elementary and secondary education
expenses (as defined in section 530(b)(3)) of such child for such taxable year.
`(3) ADJUSTMENT FOR CERTAIN SCHOLARSHIPS, ETC- Rules similar to the rules under section 25A(g)(2) shall apply for purposes of this
section.
`(4) IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENT, LIMITATION ON TAXABLE YEAR OF DEDUCTION, ETC- Rules similar to the rules under
paragraphs (2), (4), and (5) of section 222(d) shall apply for purposes of this section.’.
(b) Clerical Amendment- The table of sections for part VII of subchapter B of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking the
item relating to section 224 and inserting the following new items:
`224. Home schooleducation expenses.
`225. Cross reference.’.
(c) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2007.
SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL STANDARD DEDUCTION FOR HOME SCHOOL EDUCATION EXPENSES FOR NONITEMIZERS.
(a) In General- Section 63(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (defining standard deduction) is amended–
(1) by striking `and’ at the end of subparagraph (A),
(2) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (B) and inserting `, and’, and
(3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
`(C) the home schooleducation expenses deduction.’.
(b) Definition- Section 63(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
`(8) HOME SCHOOLEDUCATION EXPENSES DEDUCTION-
`(A) IN GENERAL- For purposes of paragraph (1), the home schooleducation expenses deduction is so much of the amount of the qualified
home schooleducation expenses paid by the taxpayer during the taxable year on behalf of each qualifying child of the taxpayer–
`(i) as does not exceed $500 with respect to each such qualifying child, and
`(ii) as does not exceed $2,000 in the aggregate with respect to all such qualifying children.
`(B) QUALIFYING CHILD; QUALIFIED HOME SCHOOLEDUCATION EXPENSES- For purposes of subparagraph (A)–
`(i) the term `qualifying child’ has the meaning given to such term in section 24(c), and
`(ii) the term `qualified home schooleducation expenses’ has the meaning given to such term in section 224(c)(2).
`(C) SPECIAL RULES- Rules similar to the rules of section 224(d) shall apply for purposes of this paragraph.’.
(c) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2007.