In this edition:

• Good Bill Alert! Strengthening Texas Bullying Laws 
• Another Texas Dream Act Threat!  
• Multi-Billion-Dollar Voucher Bill is Headed to the Governor’s Desk 
• Committee Hearings This Week 
• Highlights from Last Week

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Good Bill Alert – Help Stop Bullying in Texas Schools!

House Bill 1405 by Rep. Ron Reynolds would strengthen Texas laws relating to prevention and responses to bullying and harassment in schools. The bill would establish important requirements like providing supportive measures to ensure student safety. HB 1405 would also help to ensure there is access to educational programs and activities after reporting a bullying incident and equipping teachers with clear guidelines for documenting bullying incidents. 

IDRA has worked to improve bullying laws on the basis of race, sex, religion, gender and national origin for numerous years. Check out our resources below on advocacy around bullying and harassment in schools! 

• IDRA Advocacy Guide on Bullying & Harassment in Schools
• Bullying and Harassment in Texas Schools – Policy Recommendations 

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Another Threat to the Texas Dream Act, Limiting College Access for Texans!  

This Tuesday in the House Higher Education Committee, members will hear a committee substitute to House Bill 232, which is a bill that severely limits how Texas high school graduates can access college. House Bill 232 threatens the Texas Dream Act, which allows Texas students to have in-state tuition regardless of their immigration status. The bill changes a major part of the current public college application process by limiting it to students who have applied for permanent residency and putting a new age limit on who can follow the affidavit process.  

The bill also requires that students who had their application for permanent residency denied be subject to paying the difference of in-state and out-of-state tuition, even after graduation. This impact could potentially total in tens of thousands of dollars and puts students and alumni at risk for deportation. 

Many highly qualified Texas students who are not U.S. citizens are ineligible to become permanent residents. HB 232 creates major barriers for undocumented students who want to use the Texas Dream Act. Similar to last week’s SB 1798 hearing (Texas Dream Act repeal bill), this bill would weaken a strong, important process for students accessing college.  

We encourage you to call the members of the House Higher Education Committee and tell them to vote no on HB 232!  

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Multi-Billion-Dollar Voucher Bill is Headed to the Governor’s Desk

This past Thursday, the Texas Senate officially placed multi-billion-dollar voucher bill on the Governor’s desk. In about an hour of debate, the Senate moved to agree to the changes set by the House to put Senate Bill 2 onto the final stage of approval.  

SB 2 will create a universal private school voucher program for the first time in our state’s history. The most important parts of this voucher program are the following. 

• Applicants will only receive a little over $10,000 to take and use at a private school. The fiscal note indicates that up to 95% of these students are already in private school, which means Texas is creating a coupon for the wealthiest few.
• Children with disabilities get first priority, but the program is ultimately open to households of any income level. Additionally, children with disabilities lose their rights under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act, since they would no longer be enrolled in a public school.  
• An explicitly discriminatory part of the bill, parents of undocumented students are ineligible for the voucher program.
• The participating private schools or other education providers can have full autonomy in their admissions, curriculum, staffing and discipline policies, free from government oversight despite taking public dollars. It is essentially a private school’s decision whether to admit a student or not.  
• The cost: For the first year, $1 billion has been appropriated for the first biennium (25-26), and will balloon to over $10 billion in the first five years.  

SB 2 will be signed into law by the Governor soon. Stay tuned for updates on our social media for when this happens. 

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Coming Up: Week of April 28, 2025

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Highlights from Last Week

Testimony Presented Last Week 

Ethnic Studies is Beneficial and in High Demand for High School Students – IDRA Testimony for HB 178, Submitted by Kaci Wright to the Texas House Public Education Committee, April 22, 2025 (See video)

Access to Higher Education Promotes a Just and Prosperous Texas – IDRA Testimony against SB 1798, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Texas Senate Committee on Education K-16, April 22, 2025 (See video)

SB 1798 Harms College Opportunities for Texas Students – TLEEC Testimony Against Senate Bill 1798, submitted by Vivek Datla to the Texas Senate K-16 Education Committee, April 22, 2025 (See video)

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Tools & Resources

Learn more about IDRA’s policy recommendations for Texas
See our Infographic: 5 Data Snacks on IDRA’s Policy Priorities

The Big Cost of Proposed Voucher Legislation, Data Map

How to Testify before the Texas Legislature, Infographic

Get more advocacy tips and videos on IDRA’s SEEN website.

Welcoming Immigrant Students,  Infographic