Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced the first 25 of 40 Texas Senate priority bills, outlining several hot-topic issues he says will bolster Trump's agenda.

The Texas Senate Education Committee on Tuesday night voted to advance school voucher legislation for a full vote in the Senate after hours of public testimony largely focused on whether the proposal would live up to its promise of prioritizing low-income families and children with disabilities.

After hours of testimony Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Education advanced Senate Bill 2, a school voucher bill, setting it up for a floor vote.

Lt.Gov. Dan Patrick named school choice, property tax cuts, religion in schools and banning hemp-derived THC products among the top Senate priorities for the legislative session Wednesday. “Over the last four years,

A proposal to create a school voucher-like plan for Texas was advanced by the Texas Senate Education Committee on Tuesday night, giving voucher supporters like Gov. Greg Abbott their first major win of the legislative session.

The proposal, a priority of Gov. Greg Abbott, budgets $1 billion over the next two years to fund the private school vouchers.

Senate Bill 2, authored by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), would create an "Education Savings Account" (ESA) program that would allow Texas families to use public tax dollars to help pay for private education.

Legislation advances after a budget analysis estimates the cost of the voucher-style program will nearly quadruple in 4 years.

Both chambers are off to a fast start, with each unveiling its plan to guide state spending for the two-year budget cycle that starts Sept. 1.

Dan Patrick’s office described as maintaining “current border ... what lawmakers proposed for such a program during the 2023 legislative session. The school voucher-like program would allow families to use taxpayer dollars to pay for their children ...

A bipartisan group of rural Republicans and Democrats killed the idea in the legislature two years ago. This year, Governor Abbott believes he has the votes.

After successful campaigns for House allies, the governor is in a position to set an ambitious course for the legislative session.