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After Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick declared Senate Bill (SB) 2 his top policy priority, Sen. Brandon Creighton, chair of the Senate Committee on Education K-16, filed SB 2 on a Friday, and set it as the sole bill for a hearing on the following Tuesday, January 28.

Tuesday’s hearing began with invited testimony by panels of individuals who were all in favor of school voucher programs. Public testimony was more diverse, with people both in support of and in opposition to the bill speaking. At the conclusion of the hearing, SB 2 was voted out of the committee 9 to 2 along party lines. The two “no” votes were Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) and Sen. Jose Menendez (D-San Antonio).

If Gov. Greg Abbott declares school voucher/school choice programs an emergency item at his State of the State Address scheduled for Sunday evening, February 2, SB 2 would be able to move through the process at an expedited speed. The bill would be primed to be voted out by the full Senate early in the week, and it would then advance to the Texas House for consideration. It is anticipated that school choice/voucher programs will also be prioritized for federal funding as well.