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HR 9984118th CongressFailed / ExpiredHouse

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permit qualified business trade expenses to be treated as qualified higher education expenses for purposes of 529 accounts.

Policy Area: Taxation
View on Congress.gov
Origin Chamber
House
Last Updated
Aug 6, 2025
Latest Action Date
Oct 11, 2024

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Official Summary

Official summary has not been imported yet.

GovScope Watchdog™

AI Government Intelligence™
Executive Summary

This bill, introduced in the 118th Congress as H.R. 9984, proposes an amendment to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. It aims to allow qualified business trade expenses to be treated as qualified higher education expenses for the purposes of 529 savings accounts. 529 accounts are tax-advantaged savings plans designed to encourage saving for future education costs. By expanding the definition of qualified expenses to include certain business trade expenses, the bill seeks to broaden the scope of what can be funded through these accounts.

Bottom Line

H.R. 9984 attempts to expand the allowable uses of 529 education savings accounts to include qualified business trade expenses, but the bill did not advance beyond referral to committee and is currently classified as failed or expired.

Policy Risk Level
🟡 Medium
Neutral Risk Assessment
Key Points
  • The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to redefine qualified higher education expenses to include qualified business trade expenses.
  • It targets the tax treatment of 529 accounts, which are typically used for education-related expenses.
  • The bill was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means but did not progress further and is now considered failed or expired.
Who Benefits?

['Individuals or families who use 529 accounts and have qualified business trade expenses', 'Small business owners or entrepreneurs who may seek to use 529 funds for business-related education expenses', 'Financial institutions that manage 529 accounts']

Potential Concerns

['The bill may complicate the administration and oversight of 529 accounts by broadening the definition of qualified expenses.', 'Potential tax revenue implications due to expanded tax-advantaged withdrawals.', 'Lack of detailed definitions or guidelines in the provided text could lead to ambiguity in implementation.', 'Oversight challenges in verifying the legitimacy of business trade expenses claimed under 529 accounts.']

Political Context

The bill was introduced in the House during the 118th Congress and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means, which has jurisdiction over tax legislation. The bill did not advance beyond committee referral and is currently classified as failed or expired. No summary or full text was provided, limiting detailed legislative context.

Hidden Impact Review

Hidden impact flags detected: 2

GovScope reviewed 2 policy-risk categories. Hover for a quick definition. Click detected flags for bill-specific details.

2 Detected
Detected Flags
Indirect Effects

['Potential increase in use of 529 accounts for non-traditional education-related expenses, possibly affecting savings behavior.', 'Financial institutions may need to update account management systems and customer guidance to accommodate new expense categories.', 'IRS enforcement resources may be redirected or expanded to address new compliance challenges.']

GovScope Watchdog Notes

The absence of a full bill text and official summary limits comprehensive analysis. The bill's referral to the House Committee on Ways and Means indicates it was subject to tax policy review, but no further legislative action was recorded. Transparency would be improved by providing full text and detailed summaries to clarify definitions, scope, and enforcement mechanisms related to the expanded qualified expenses.

Passage Likelihood: LowConfidence: 75%Model: gpt-4.1-mini

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