Texas Senate Advances ‘School Choice’ Bill; ‘Rural Texas Gets Screwed on This.’

This story has been updated.

The Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 2 on Wednesday evening, moving forward with a proposal to use taxpayer dollars for private school education through a voucher-style program.

The 19-12 vote was largely along party lines, with Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, as the only Republican to oppose the bill. All 11 Senate Democrats also voted against it.

Contentious Debate and Partisan Divisions

While the bill’s passage seemed inevitable, Senate Democrats mounted strong resistance, proposing numerous amendments—all of which were swiftly rejected along party lines. The chamber granted initial approval to SB 2 just after 6:30 p.m., despite Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick previously suggesting debate could stretch into early Thursday morning. The measure will now go to the House for consideration.

Throughout the debate, the bill’s author, Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, defended SB 2 against Democratic criticism, dismissing their concerns as “fear-mongering hypotheticals.”

“Who are we fighting for? We are fighting for these students who need help the most,” Creighton said.

What SB 2 Proposes

The bill would allocate $1 billion to fund education savings accounts (ESAs), providing $10,000 per student for private school tuition and $2,000 for homeschoolers. Special education students would receive up to $11,500.

Republican lawmakers pushed back against a government analysis suggesting the program’s cost could balloon to $8 billion over four years. Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, argued that the report lacked context, emphasizing that lawmakers control the program’s funding and would have to approve any expansion.

“It’s very important to have the facts about the fiscal implication,” Huffman said.

Opposition from Rural Lawmakers

Though SB 2 has repeatedly cleared the Republican-controlled Senate, similar proposals have failed in the House, where rural Republicans have joined Democrats in opposition.

Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, criticized the bill for failing to serve students in rural areas, where private school options are scarce.

“Rural Texas gets screwed on this,” Gutierrez said.

Gov. Greg Abbott has made school choice his top legislative priority, pushing for the passage of SB 2 despite persistent opposition in the House.