Why It Matters

The Invest in Education Coalition spent years pushing for a federal tax credit scholarship program and finally achieved its goal. The Education Freedom Tax Credit was enacted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21) and signed into law on July 4, 2025. Now the coalition appears focused on implementation, including state opt-ins and program rollout, while navigating contested federal education funding debates in Washington.

By the Numbers

The first quarter 2026 lobbying disclosure filing reflects $110,000 paid to Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, matching the amount the coalition paid the firm in the fourth quarter of 2025, its largest single quarterly payment to date, per that filing. That represents an increase from $90,000 in the third quarter of 2025 and $60,000 in the second quarter of 2025.

The coalition maintains a multi-firm lobbying operation. In the one-year period ending April 19, 2026, it filed 15 separate disclosures across four lobbying firms, spending a combined $950,000:

Brownstein's team on this account, namely Brian McGuire, Mark Warren, and Harold Hancock, has remained consistent. Marc Lampkin, who appeared on three earlier Brownstein filings for the coalition, is not listed on the Q1 2026 disclosure.

The coalition has been a consistent lobbying presence since at least early 2024, when Brownstein filed a first quarter 2024 disclosure for $50,000. Spending has risen steadily since.

The Lobbying Team

The three congressional lobbyists listed on the the first quarter 2026 disclosure bring significant Capitol Hill experience:

  • Brian McGuire served as chief of staff to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) across six Congresses, from the 110th through the 115th.
  • Mark Warren spent more than two decades on tax-focused committees, including as chief counsel for tax on the Senate Finance Committee, as well as tax counsel on the House Ways and Means Committee, serving from the 107th through the 117th Congress.
  • Harold Hancock served as a professional staff member on the House Ways and Means Committee across four Congresses, from the 112th through the 115th.

Warren and Hancock's tax committee backgrounds are relevant given the tax credit structure at the center of the coalition's legislative agenda.

The Agenda

The first quarter 2026 lobbying disclosure filing lists no specific issues or legislation. It's a notable omission compared to prior filings from other coalition firms, which explicitly named H.R. 833 and S. 292, the Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025, as well as H.R. 1, the reconciliation vehicle that became the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Brownstein's prior filings for the coalition described the work broadly as "issues related to primary education." The other three firms in the coalition's lobbying network have consistently cited the Educational Choice for Children Act and tax policy as their focus areas.

Linden-Grove Strategies' third and fourth quarter 2025 filings shifted to describing their work as focused on "implementation of Internal Revenue Code section 25F", the statutory provision created by the new school choice tax credit law. That framing suggests at least part of the coalition's 2026 lobbying activity involves implementation and regulatory questions, though the Brownstein filing does not specify.

Broader Context

The coalition's lobbying activity in early 2026 coincides with the Education Freedom Tax Credit moving from enactment to rollout. States must opt in to the program, which is set to take effect in federal tax year 2027. Governors have begun announcing their states' participation (Mississippi's governor, for example, publicly opted in) and advocacy groups are tracking which states join.

Congressional member communications offer additional context. A press release dated April 12, 2026, one week before this disclosure was signed, cited coalition Chairman Anthony de Nicola by name, quoting him on the school choice tax credit: "This is a huge victory for American families that have been praying and hoping for a financial lifeline to provide their children with the education they need to thrive." A companion release published the same day carried the same quote, tied to National School Choice Week.

An earlier July 3, 2025 press release also quoted de Nicola as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act advanced toward enactment.

The lobbying activity is also occurring against a backdrop of federal education funding turbulence. The Trump administration's budget proposed a 15 percent cut to the Department of Education, though Congress ultimately passed a spending package in February 2026. That measure maintained education funding at prior-year levels, which rejected proposed reductions to programs like Title I and IDEA. Congressional hearings during the period covered by the disclosure addressed federal K-12 funding levels, the administration's approach to education grants, and the future of the department itself.

The Bottom Line

The Invest in Education Coalition built a sustained, well-resourced lobbying operation around a single legislative goal and achieved it. The first quarter 2026 filing, while light on disclosed specifics, reflects continued investment in Washington advocacy at the same level as the coalition's prior high-water mark. With the Education Freedom Tax Credit now law, and implementation underway, the coalition's 2026 lobbying activity appears focused on the next phase: ensuring the program takes hold.