# 119-s-1244: Education Savings Accounts for Military Families Act of 2025

119-s-1244, Education Savings Accounts for Military Families Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-08).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1244
- As of: 2026-08-08
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-1244
- Congress: 119
- Title: Education Savings Accounts for Military Families Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-04-01
- Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-08

## Summary

**Military Education Savings Accounts (MESAs)** would create federal savings accounts for eligible military dependent children. Parents could use account funds for a wide range of education costs from private school tuition to tutoring, online programs, certifications, and college savings. - Military families: Parents could receive an initial deposit of $6,000 per eligible child with annual increases tied to the chained Consumer Price Index. Parents must apply year-round and sign a simple agreement on core instructional subjects and limits on full-time public enrollment. - Providers and schools: Providers must register to receive payments and those getting $100,000 or more in a school year must post a surety bond. States must still count MESA students toward compulsory attendance and part-time public attendance requires an agreement and payment from the account. - Administration and program rules: The Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, would run the program, automatically renew accounts unless parents opt out, and use a lottery if funds are limited with sibling and rank-based priorities. Administrative expenses are capped at 5% of program funds. *Would authorize $1.2 billion for fiscal year 2026 and allow future increases tied to chained CPI, which would increase federal spending if enacted.*

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN] (R-IN), 2025-04-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-07-15T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New military education accounts and funding: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would create Military Education Savings Accounts for eligible military children. The government would deposit $6,000 into each new account in the first school year. Congress would be authorized to appropriate $1.2 billion for fiscal year 2026 to start the program. Each later sc…
- Tax-free treatment for account deposits: benefit, high. If enacted, Secretary contributions to a Military Education Savings Account and authorized distributions from the account would not count as gross income for the child or the parent. That means those federal deposits and permitted withdrawals would be tax-exempt under current income tax rules.
- What MESA funds can pay for: benefit, medium. If enacted, MESA funds could pay for many education costs. Examples include private K–12 tuition (including religious schools), tutoring, classes, camps, textbooks, therapy materials, test fees, apprenticeship and college costs, and contributions to college savings plans. The Department would keep…
- Account timing, reporting, and end rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, the Secretary would by default deposit MESA money quarterly, and parents could choose a different schedule. Before getting the next transfer, parents must report how they spent the last transfer. Accounts would renew automatically unless the parent opts out or the account was misused. A…
- Priority and lottery when money is limited: mixed, medium. If enacted, when appropriated funds are not enough the Secretary would first renew and fully fund existing MESAs. If money remains, new accounts would be awarded by lottery. The lottery would give highest priority to siblings of current MESA children, then children of enlisted members, then warrant…
- Who can apply and parental commitments: mixed, medium. If enacted, parents could apply year-round for a MESA for an eligible military dependent child. To qualify the child must have a parent on active duty in the uniformed services (excluding an activated National Guard officer). First-time applicants must show the child was enrolled in public school a…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-124: Restore VA Accountability Act of 2025
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-2907: Chloe Cole Act

## Sources
- [119-s-1244 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1244)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-524)
- [119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3923)
- [119-s-124: Restore VA Accountability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-124)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-2907: Chloe Cole Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2907)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1244 (as of 2026-08-08).