Texas House Passes Largest Day-One School Choice Bill in American History

Dallas, Texas – The American Federation for Children celebrates the Texas House’s preliminary passage of the largest day-one school choice bill in American history. The $1 billion program, which creates education savings accounts of more than $10,000 per student to cover a variety of education-related expenses, passed on second reading in an 86-63 vote early Thursday morning.

This victory marks the first time ever that the Texas House has passed a private school choice bill. With the Senate having advanced school choice legislation already, the chambers must now concur to send school choice to the Governor’s desk as quickly as possible.

Statement from Tommy Schultz, CEO, American Federation for Children:

“School choice is coming to Texas. We applaud the tireless leadership of Governor Abbott, Speaker Burrows, Chairman Buckley, and the many legislative champions who have fought for this moment. Most of all, we honor the parents across Texas who have courageously stood up for their children’s right to learn and helped bring us to this pivotal point.

For the first time in history, the Texas House has passed a school choice bill – marking a major milestone by advancing what is set to be the largest day-one school choice program in the nation. We remain committed to supporting parents every step of the way until this legislation is signed into law. We look forward to celebrating with families across Texas as our state takes its place as a national leader in education freedom.”

Details:

• All six million Texas K-12 students would be eligible to apply.
• ESA funds would cover a variety of educational expenses including tuition at a non-public school, tutoring, extracurricular activities, transportation, special needs therapies, and more.
• Students with disabilities and students from low- or middle-income families would be first in line if demand exceeds available funding.
• Participating schools and families would remain protected from burdensome regulations affecting curriculum, admissions, and other matters.

About AFC:

The American Federation for Children is the nation’s largest school choice advocacy organization and the most successful force for education freedom in America, passing over 200 laws across 31 states throughout our history. Our affiliated Super PAC, AFC Victory Fund, is the only nationwide Super PAC focused on advancing school choice.

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