A powerful Republican congressman has introduced a bill to save the D.C. private school voucher program, which is slated to end after this school year without intervention.

House Minority Leader John Boehner, of Ohio, joined by two Republican colleagues, proposed legislation Thursday to reauthorize the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program for another five years. Roughly 1,700 low-income youth currently receive up to $7,500 a year for private school tuition through the program.