CV News Feed//Texas House voted 85-63 shortly after 2am on Thursday to pass the Landmark $1 billion school selection bill, moving forward with Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s top priorities and paved the way for the nation’s biggest program.
The vote “slumped primarily on the party line after lawmakers discussed Senate Bill 2 after they brought it near fatigue,” Dallas News reported. “The bill requires a final vote before it is handed over in the House, but the margins rarely change with final approval… Once it’s done, there’s a clear path to the governor’s desk.”
The law creates a statewide school selection program that offers educational savings accounts (ESAs) that allow families who choose to use the money for private school tuition, homeschooling, and other approved education expenses to access public education funds directly. Annual awards range from $2,000 for homeschoolers to $11,500 for private schools.
Catholicvote has approved this law.
“The first in Texas history,” Abbott said after the vote:
“When it reaches my desk, I will quickly sign the legislation to this bill and create the largest one-day school selection program in the country,” he added.
The Bishop’s Texas Catholic Conference supported SB 2 earlier this year, citing strong protections for religious freedom and private school autonomy.
“HB 2 will strengthen public schools, while SB 2 will increase access to educational alternatives, which is a victory for Texas education,” executive director Jennifer Allmon said Monday.
The passage of the bill follows a month-long campaign by Abbott.
Longtime school choice supporter, President Donald Trump, personally called Texas House leadership on Wednesday morning to provide his support.
“We’ve just heard from President Trump — we actually called out to our own meetings, encouraged us, talking about plans for education at the federal level and how what we’re doing today fits into his agenda and is an important part of his agenda,” said House Republican Caucus Speaker Tom Oliverson.
The vote has grown the momentum for school selection across the country, with 16 states in recent years incorporating similar programs.
A Texas Democrat fought the law at a “bitter end,” as one Democrat said. Several democratic amendments have been submitted, including proposals to cast the issue into public votes. Polls show wide and bipartisan support among voters in school choice.
Lawmakers also approved House Building 2 (HB 2), a $7.7 billion public school funding package, with a bipartisan 144-4 votes. The bill will raise teacher salaries, boost local school support, increase special education funding, and add nearly $400 to the base allocation per student in the local district.
“The Texas home has taken a monumental step towards increasing education funding, increasing teacher salaries and leading Texas on the path to excellence in student education,” Abbott said Wednesday. “Because I am the governor, public education funding and average teacher salaries have reached an all-time high. Currently, House Bill 2 adds another $7.7 billion to fund highs in quality education for the next generation of Texas leaders.”
Both bills are now returning to the Senate for final approval. Once signed into law, the ESA program will make Texas a national leader in school selection.
