The Texas Senate has passed the $1 billion private school voucher bill.
The bill passed Thursday with a 19-12 vote and will now head to Gov. Greg Abbott who already said he will sign it into law. The legislation will allow parents to access thousands of dollars in state funds to pay for private education or homeschooling for their kids.
The Senate ended up approving changes to the bill made by the House including an increase to funds available to students who need special education.
“An education is the key to unlocking future success for the child, for the family, for their future families, for their grandchildren for generations to come,” said Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston. “I know what the outcome of this is, inevitably, inevitably: People are going to have education that they've never had before."
The vote was mainly along party lines. Senate Democrats criticized the bill as a handout to a fairly small group of students.