Rep. Kiggans’ TUTOR Act Gets an A+ for Serving Students and Teachers

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02) introduced the Teachers Utilizing Tutoring Opportunities for Relief (TUTOR) Act, alongside Rep. Eugene Vindman (VA-07), to provide financial relief to teachers who take on the responsibility to tutor their students outside the classroom.

Rep. Kiggans said, “This bill was inspired by my little sister who has been teaching math in a classroom for 25 years. She is a single mother to three children and has to tutor at night and on the weekends in order to provide for her family and pay the bills. The stories I have heard from her about what is expected from teachers in the classroom these days are unbelievable. We all want a great education for our children, yet we undervalue the amount of work it requires from our teachers to provide quality classroom learning. Teaching is a labor of love. We need to ensure we are compensating our teachers appropriately but also giving them opportunities to supplement their income and keep those hard-earned dollars.

Additionally, many students are still reeling from learning loss due to school closures during the pandemic. According to Virginia’s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) score, fourth graders showed a slight improvement in math, but little improvement in reading scores. Even more concerning, the math and reading scores of eighth-grade students dropped from last year. The best way to get these students back on track is to get them the additional one-on-one instruction and tutoring they need. It’s time to empower our teachers to do just that.

There is no such thing as a good school without good teachers. We must do more to support our nation’s educators and ensuring their after-hours tutoring instruction is tax-free is a good place to start!”

“As a dad of two kids who attended Virginia public schools, I know firsthand the difference a great teacher can make. I’m proud to join my Virginia colleague, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans, in introducing this bipartisan bill to provide meaningful financial relief to educators who go above and beyond through tutoring,” said Vindman. “Teachers are the cornerstone of our Commonwealth, and I’ll always stand with them.”

Read the bill here.

Read the one pager here.

Background:

• This bill delivers financial support in the form of a tax credit that climbs as high as $1000 depending on the number of hours a teacher spends tutoring a student. Educators serve an essential role in the development of our children across the nation, and in Virginia’s Second District. Teachers that go above and beyond to incorporate a more personal, focused approach to learning should be recognized for their sacrifice and acknowledged for their time.
• Because so many teachers receive a salary that fails to meet their financial needs, nearly 20% of our country’s educators seek out a second job during the school year.
• Personal tutoring, in its most proficient manner, is conducted by a teacher or professional tutor that’s been trained to instruct students on concepts they need to excel at their particular grade level.
• When conducted properly, studies have shown that students in the 50th percentile often improve to the 66th percentile upon receiving tutoring services.

Rep. Kiggans’ previous work on improving education:

• In May 2024, Rep. Kiggans introduced the World Language Education Assistance Program (LEAP) Act, a bill that requires the Department of Education to award competitive grants to local educational agencies to carry out new, or improve existing, world language or dual language programs
• In June 2025, Rep. Kiggans co-led the UNPLUGGED Schools Grant Act of 2025 that would reward federal grants to K-12 schools that institute “bell-to-bell” phone ban policies. A bill to limit distractions from learning in America’s classrooms.