WASHINGTON D.C. – Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) released the following statement today after the House passed the bipartisan H.R. 529 to improve, modernize, and strengthen 529 college savings accounts.

“As someone who paid my way through college by working at the McDonald’s Drive-Thru in Colville, and became the first in my family to graduate from college, I know firsthand the value of a good education. But for too many students, that goal seems out of reach. Today, I voted to strengthen and modernize 529 college saving plans so more Eastern Washington families can make the dream of higher education a reality. Now computers, a necessary tool for a 21st-century education, can be covered as an allowable expense. This bill also eliminates the massive amount of red tape that makes creating 529 accounts more difficult than it should be. By making access to these tax-free savings accounts easier, more people in Eastern Washington will be able to save for – and graduate from – college. I continue my commitment to reforming our complex tax code and championing a solution that will change the trajectory of so many students’ lives.”

This bipartisan legislation clarifies that computers are a qualified expense for 529 account funds and eliminates unnecessary red tape for 529 plan administrators.