Senate Committee on Education Committee K-16 Chair Brandon Creighton’s ESA legislation, SB 2, is the only bill placed on the Intent Calendar that begins at 12 p.m., Wednesday, February 5, 2025, when the Senate gavels in. As Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s top policy priority, and with ESAs declared an emergency item that must pass by Gov. Abbott, it is anticipated that SB 2 will be voted out of the Senate tomorrow and sent to the House soon after.
Highlights from SB 2 as filed include:
- Creates a universal ESA program within the comptroller’s office to pay for education-related expenses of approved families
- Allows approved parents to submit a request for payment to an educational service provider through comptroller-contracted “educational assistance organizations”
- Permits the comptroller to contract with up to five educational assistance organizations
- Defines eligibility as children eligible to attend a Texas public school or enroll in a public school’s prekindergarten program
- Funds equal to:
- $2,000 for students not enrolled in a private school (homeschooled)
- $10,000 for those enrolled in a private school
- $11,500 for those enrolled in a private school and who have a disability
- Establishes a lottery system if there are more applicants than there are spots
- Prioritizes up to 80% of ESAs for students who were previously in public school and are members of a low-income households (500% of the poverty threshold) or children with a disability
- Allows any remaining ESAs to be provided to any eligible applicant
See the text of SB 2 as filed.
Watch the live broadcast of the Senate debate February 5 at noon.