Texas House approves nearly $8B for public school funding
Texas House lawmakers debate school voucher bill
The Texas House passed the largest public school funding bill in state history on Wednesday, dedicating nearly $8 billion to key parts of public education.
DALLAS - The Texas House passed the largest public school funding bill in state history on Wednesday, dedicating nearly $8 billion to key parts of public education.
It sets the table for a lengthy fight over school vouchers.
House Bill 2
What's new:
HB 2 increases per-student funding, teacher pay, and special needs funding, among other things.
Only four members of the Texas House voted against it.
But some have described it as a "carrot and stick" situation.
While a majority of House members agree that public schools need more funding, there is still division, at least between Democrats and Republicans, about Senate Bill 2, which sets aside another $1 billion to give parents state money for private school tuition.
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The Texas House is expected to vote on a controversial school choice bill on Wednesday.
The other side:
Some lawmakers expressed concern that HB 2’s $7.7 billion for public schools is not enough to account for inflation.
"Will this bill catch us up to 2019 levels, yes or no?" asked Rep. James Talarico.
"This is a bipartisan effort to close the gap," replied Rep. Brad Buckley.
"I’m going to take that as a no until I get a yes," Talarico said.
School voucher bill returns to Texas House floor
After failing in the last legislative session, school vouchers are back on the house floor and this time there's a high likelihood they will pass this time.
What's next:
The House is now debating SB 2, which is expected to pass. It would then go back to the Senate.
If the legislation passes, it will be the largest school voucher program in the country.
It would also be the first time the House has passed a school voucher bill. Last session, it failed in multiple special sessions.
But Gov. Greg Abbott made it his top priority for this year and campaigned against Republicans who voted against it last year.
The governor and President Donald Trump met with Republicans by phone on Wednesday morning about the importance of passing the bill.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the Texas Legislature and past news coverage.