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The Latest Breaking News from Brad Buckley

Different pace and priorities separate Texas Senate and House on school vouchers

The gaps over eligibility and on spending levels are narrower than the fundamental differences of the previous session.

The Texas Tribune

Marathon Hearing on School Vouchers Features Intense Bipartisan Opposition

“There is a disconnect between the rhetoric and what the bill actually says,” Democrat James Talarico summarized of House Bill 3.

Texas Observer

Debate on House’s school voucher bill centers on a question: Should wealthy Texans be included?

The hearing on House Bill 3 started Tuesday and ended Wednesday morning. Hundreds of Texans waited overnight to testify.

The Texas Tribune

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Texas Democrats criticize school leaders for being too “nice” about their funding needs

Lawmakers this week listened to testimony on House Bill 2, which would raise schools’ base funding per student by $220 — a figure that falls short of what many Texans say is needed.

The Texas Tribune

Voucher bills want to prioritize low-income families and be open to all students. Those goals might be at odds.

Neither of the Legislature’s voucher bills require private schools to accept certain students, which some warn could block the neediest children from access.

The Texas Tribune

Thin majority of Texas House signs on to support voucher bill

The 75 co-sponsors plus the bill’s author would provide enough votes to pass Gov. Abbott’s top priority measure in the 150-seat House.

The Texas Tribune

Texas House wants to give public schools $220 more per student

The proposal, filed Thursday, comes well short of the increase school administrators and education advocates have been asking for.

The Texas Tribune

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Speaker Burrows Remodels Texas House with All-Republican Chairs

The new leader of the lower chamber finally announced committee assignments, formalizing a new order in the lower chamber.

Texas Observer

Texas House committee assignments extend power of experienced GOP leaders

Republicans chair all committees, as promised, while Democrats will lead half of the newly created subcommittees.

The Texas Tribune

How Gov. Greg Abbott lost a yearlong fight to create school vouchers

The governor projected confidence throughout 2023 that vouchers would pass. But his insistence on universal eligibility ensured his failure to convince 21 House Republican holdouts.

The Texas Tribune

Texas Legislature adjourns fourth special session — leaving vouchers, school safety and elections bills unfinished

The latest casualties were Senate Bill 5, which would spend $800 million on school safety measures through 2025, and Senate Bill 6, which would change the timeline of a trial after an election contest is filed by a citizen or group.

The Texas Tribune

School voucher critics remain largely unswayed during Texas House hearing

House Bill 1, which stagnated during the previous special session, finally received a hearing in the lower chamber, a crucial step that will decide whether the proposal gets a full vote.

The Texas Tribune

Texas' part-time Legislature has been at it all year. Now they're heading into a rare fourth special session

A full 30-day session amounts to about $1 million in per diem payments to lawmakers, which are meant to cover their expenses in Austin.

The Texas Tribune

Abbott calls lawmakers back for fourth time to try again on school vouchers and border security

The governor announced the fourth special session would start an hour after the previous session adjourned.

The Texas Tribune

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The Texas Tribune

The Texas House’s new priority education bill offers concessions to sway voucher skeptics

The revised bill promises a significant funding increase for public schools and academic accountability measures for students participating in the proposed voucher program, two of the biggest requests from voucher opponents.

Texas Observer

Abbott Fails on Vouchers. Again.

The governor has dug in, calling for a fourth special legislative session.

The Texas Tribune

Abbott touts school voucher deal with House leaders, but others reluctant to say if bill will pass

A deal between the governor and House would be a breakthrough after months of talks. But whether they actually have a deal is unclear.

The Texas Tribune

Gov. Greg Abbott, House at impasse over school voucher bill as special session winds down

Vouchers are the governor’s top legislative priority. But he has signaled opposition to a proposed House compromise that would tie them to increased funding for public schools.

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The Texas Tribune

House, Senate bills at odds over power to boost future funding for Texas school voucher program

The Senate’s Republican bill would let state leaders grow the program by taking money from other agencies without the Legislature’s approval. The House bill would bar the practice.

The Texas Tribune

Texas House priority bill increases education spending in exchange for creating voucher program

House Bill 1 would make an educational savings account program available to 25,000 Texas students in its first year, with increased participation to follow. The governor’s office indicated that the proposal was lacking.

The Texas Tribune

Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan join forces on property taxes. It might help the push for school vouchers.

Phelan announced the formation of a House committee that could set the tone in favor of vouchers ahead of an expected special session on education. The move comes weeks after Abbott sided with Phelan on a plan to lower property taxes.

The Texas Tribune

The regular Texas legislative session started with a record budget surplus and ended with an impeached attorney general

The 2023 legislative session started with a $32.7 billion surplus. It was mired in Republican infighting and multiple scandals. Then, the House impeached the state’s attorney general.

The Texas Tribune

Time runs out for taxpayer-funded private school tuition bill as special session looms

Gov. Greg Abbott has already signaled he would call a special session if lawmakers failed to pass a voucher-like program open to all students.

The Texas Tribune

School voucher bill hangs by a thread as key deadline approaches

The House public education committee chair said Wednesday he currently has no plans to bring the bill for a vote. Gov. Greg Abbott has vowed to call a special session if the House doesn’t “expand the scope of school choice.”

The Texas Tribune

Gov. Greg Abbott threatens to veto pared-down school choice bill, warns of special sessions

Abbott says if a school voucher bill isn’t expanded to include more students, a special legislative session will be the result.

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