The Texas House of Representatives has rejected one of Governor Greg Abbott’s key legislative priorities.
School Vouchers
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had declared education freedom an emergency item for the legislative session, saying that no one knows the needs of a child better than a parent. However, only 52 members voted in favor of school vouchers, far short of the 76-member majority needed to approve any such legislation in the House. A total of 11 members remained neutral by registering as “present, not voting”.
The House approved the amendment after the Public Education Committee chair, Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Killeen, asked members to table it. However, his motion failed, paving the way for the vote, according to a recently published article in KSAT.
The 86 votes received by the amendment were fewer than the 115 votes a similar amendment got during the previous legislative session, with other prior amendments on the issue also garnering over 100 votes. The vote was essentially symbolic, as the amendment is expected to be stripped by the Senate before the final budget is passed.
READ ALSO: School Choice in Texas: Governor Greg Abbott Turns Up the Pressure In Passing It
House Passed Anti-Voucher
On the same day that the House passed the anti-voucher budget amendment, the Senate passed legislation that would create an education savings account program, which would give parents up to $8,000 per student each year. Rural Republicans were targeted by the inclusion of a provision for districts with fewer than 20,000 students to receive $10,000 for every child who enrolls in the program and leaves their district.
Despite the defeat, Abbott remains committed to the issue. Since January, he has spoken at a dozen “parent empowerment” events where he has promoted education savings accounts, which would allow parents to use state funds to send their children to non-public schools.
In a published article in CBS Austin, Abbott is scheduled to hold his 13th parent empowerment event in San Antonio on Thursday. Abbott’s spokesperson, Renae Eze, stated that the vote shows that the legislature remains open to school choice and supporting the majority of Texans who want to expand school choice.
Eze also said that the Senate has already passed school choice legislation to the House, and the House committee will be taking up similar bills this week. Abbott looks forward to the legislature passing school choice legislation this year and signing it into law to ensure all Texas students have access to the best educational opportunities.
READ ALSO: Protesters Gather in Austin, Urge Gov. Greg Abbott to End ‘Operation Lone Star’
