After many of hours of debate and numerous attempts to amend the bill, the Texas House passed SB 2, the Senate’s Education Savings Account (ESA) bill, with a vote of 85 to 63 shortly after 2 a.m. on Thursday, April 16, 2025. (A link to the record vote is available here.)
Around 3:30 p.m., House Public Education Committee Chair Brad Buckley, the bill’s sponsor in the House, laid out SB 2, as substituted in committee, and took questions from other representatives. A series of amendments (43 in total) were presented, but each one was tabled, including one offered by Rep. James Talarico that would have sent the issue of Texas’ implementation of an ESA program to Texas voters to decide. That amendment was tabled with a vote of 86 to 62.
Only Buckley’s perfecting amendment was adopted with a near unanimous vote. The amendment:
- adds children of active duty military service members to the list of eligible children
- clarifies documents that may be used to prove residency
- requires that private schools that participate have been accredited for at least two years
- changes payments to families from quarterly to three times per year
- strengthens data reporting on students requiring special education services who leave private schools
SB 2 now returns to the Senate. Because the bill was substantially changed in the House, it will likely go to conference committee.
This Houston Chronicle webpage (paywall) provides a series of updates posted as the debate progressed last night, as does this Dallas Morning News page (no paywall).
