WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, joined U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) in introducing the Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act of 2022, legislation to quadruple the amount educators can deduct from their taxes for out-of-pocket classroom expenses. The current deduction for teachers is $250 – far less than most teachers spend each year out of their own pocket on classroom supplies. The legislation would increase that amount to $1,000 and index it to inflation going forward.

“Teachers go the extra mile to give our kids the best education possible, and too often that includes spending some of their own paycheck to provide basic school supplies for their students. Especially after two tough years of teaching during a pandemic, we need to do more to support educators. This bill would quadruple the current deduction for out-of-pocket classroom expenses and get more of those hard-earned dollars back in teachers’ pockets,” said Murphy.

“Teachers work as hard as anyone – often harder – to support our students, yet they aren’t paid nearly the salaries and benefits they deserve, and they often spend hundreds of dollars of their hard-earned money on supplies for their classrooms,” said Brown. “Ohio educators shouldn’t have to dip into their too-small paychecks simply to do their jobs. We need to allow teachers to deduct more of those costs from their taxes, so they can focus on educating the next generation of Americans.”

Educators showed once again how indispensable they are to our communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Department of Education, 94 percent of public-school teachers reportedly paid for classroom supplies without reimbursement, with nearly 1 in 10 reportedly spending more than $1,000 each year. Teachers are paid far too little -- on average 20 percent less than similarly-skilled professionals – and are also too often asked to cover classroom expenses.

State spending on education has plummeted in recent decades. Increasing this deduction recognizes the personal sacrifices so many educators make to ensure our children have the tools to learn.

The Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act of 2022 is endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT), National Education Association (NEA), Ohio Education Association (OEA), and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Original Senate cosponsors include: U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

Original House cosponsors include: U.S. Representatives Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.-05), Colin Allred (D-Texas-32), Karen Bass (D-Calif.-37), Susan Bonamici (D-Ore.01), Shontel Brown (D-Ohio-11), André Carson (D-Ind.-07), Sean Casten (D-Ill.-06), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.-20), Jim Langevin (D-R.I.-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.-20), Katie Porter (D-Calif.-45), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Darren Soto (D-Fla,-09), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.-03), Bennie Thompson (MS-02) Juan Vargas (D-Calif.-51) and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.-24).

 

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