IDRA’s weekly email alert will include legislative updates, opportunities for action to make your voice heard, bills to watch and other information through the session until it closes in early June.
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In this edition…
- Senate Bill 2, the Senate’s voucher bill passed, headed to the House
- Senate finance hears about education funding
- House Committee assignments coming soon
Senate Bill 2 Passes out of the Senate, Moves to the House
Last week after hours of debate and many amendments filed, Senate Bill 2 was passed out of the Senate on a 19-12 vote. Though the bill passed, it was not a quick and easy process. Senate Democratic lawmakers consistently pressed the author of the bill Sen. Brandon Creighton on the harms of the bill. Amendments were filed around school safety, transparency and ensuring students were protected from discrimination and bullying by private schools. They were all shot down.
The bill now moves to the House where it will still have to go through the entire process of committee, public testimony and debate before it is passed. This fight isn’t over yet.
Watch this video from our Deputy Director of Policy, Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., explaining the latest on the SB 2!
Call your representative!
We encourage you to call your state House representative and tell them to vote no on vouchers. If you need help finding your state house representative, look online at who represents me, type in your address and your state representative will be listed.
Education Funding Update
The Senate Finance Committee is hearing from state agencies and Texans about the proposed state budget, known as Senate Bill 1. SB 1 contains an increase of $11.6 billion for the next two years in school funding to the Foundation School Program. However, this is not all new money to public school students.
Most of the increase is due to the state paying for property tax cuts. About $4.85 billion is earmarked for teacher pay increases, and about $2 million is dedicated to doubling school safety funding. The state budget also sets aside $1 billion for the first year of the school voucher program if SB 2 or a similar bill became law.
House Committee Assignments Coming Soon!
Every legislative session, the Speaker of the House will assign representatives to committees. These committees are an important part of lawmaking as bills get referred to the committee based on the bill’s topic. We are always locked in on the education committees because they give us a good understanding of which bills will be prioritized throughout the session.
The Texas Senate has its committee assignments already.
The Texas House is scheduled to have its committees determined this week. Stay tuned to our social media to find out when they are released.
Cost of Vouchers Data Map Infographic
Click to see how much money your district will lose!
Tools & Resources
Learn more about IDRA’s policy recommendations for Texas
See our Infographic: 5 Data Snacks on IDRA’s Policy Priorities
How to Testify before the Texas Legislature, Infographic
