Why can't I use PEP funds to buy a computer?

(This post has been updated as of June 1, 2024.)

Simple answer: Because it's not authorized in statute.

Though Step Up and AAA have some authority as to how they interpret the statutes and which purchases fall within the approved categories, they do still have to abide by the statutes as to what they can approve.

There is a principle of statutory construction, which means it's assumed that legislators considered all options and decided to include only what they included.

On this particular issue, since digital devices were not included in the legislation for PEP, but are included in the similar statutes regarding approved purchases for other scholarships like UA, It is assumed that the exclusion was intentional.

In our discussions with legislators, this has been confirmed. They were concerned about parents misusing the funds and buying and reselling technology, and several other things, and therefore did not include digital devices in the PEP statutes when originally written.

This is something we are hoping to get changed in the future, and have already been in conversation with legislators about! But until the statutes are changed, laptops and other digital devices will not be an approved expense for the PEP scholarship.

Want to help us on this issue? Reach out to your local Representatives and let them know how and why the ability to purchase digital devices with PEP funds is important to your family! Representatives receive many, many emails, so to ensure yours is fully read, we suggest keeping your emails as concise as possible... but please do express the personal impact! Think "bullet points with heart."

You can easily find how to contact your Representatives using the "Find My Rep" and "Find My Senator" links in the Information drop-down menu on our website.