A Texas senator said he expects the statehouse to pass school choice measures next legislative session.
“I believe the votes are there,” Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) told WFAA.
Gov. Greg Abbott called a special session last year to pass a school choice program to enable families to use taxpayer money to defray the costs of homeschooling or private school, but the measure — which was part of a broader education package that included more money for public schools — stalled in the Texas House.
“We love our public schools in Texas. We are thankful for them. That’s where most people are going to go, most people are happy there,” Hughes told WFAA. “They are not the perfect fit for every child, for every family. It just makes sense to give families choices. I think that will pass next session.”
Abbott endorsed primary challengers to the House Republicans who voted to kill school choice, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. The governor’s effort proved successful, as nine of the 13 anti-school choice Republicans lost their primaries.
The governor said the primary results leave reason to believe school choice will pass during the next legislative session.
“While we did not win every race we fought in, the overall message from this year’s primaries is clear: Texans want school choice. Opponents of school choice can no longer ignore the will of the people,” Abbott said after the election.
“As we look ahead to the November general election, we will continue to work tirelessly to elect strong, conservative candidates who will ensure every child in Texas has access to the best education possible — regardless of their zip code or economic background,” he continued. “Working together, we will create an even brighter future for generations to come.”
Hughes discussed several other potential policies at the statehouse for next year’s legislative session. He said this may include legislation that further specifies qualifications for medical exceptions to Texas’ abortion ban.
“We passed a bill last year to make it clear that an ectopic pregnancy, or a situation like that where the mom’s life is in danger or health is in danger, then that’s an exception — and everybody is for that,” Hughes told WFAA.
“We may need to further clarify the law in Texas on that,” he continued. “We are for protecting those little babies and protecting those moms. And we can do both. So you may see legislation about that next session.”
Other potential areas of focus, he told WFAA, are additional property tax cuts and border security measures.
“We had a significant property tax cut last session,” he said. “We have to keep doing that. With this inflation, we have to do everything we can to help real people try to buy groceries and pay their bills.”