It only took about 12 hours of debate, but late Wednesday night, the Texas Senate passed SB2, otherwise known at the school choice bill.
It is the 6th time the bill has succeeded in the Senate and passed by a 19-12 vote in the chamber this time. It now heads to the Texas House for a debate and vote.
The bill's author, State Senator Brandon Creighton, gave a fiery speech on the floor before the roll call was made, and slammed opponents who called the bill discriminatory, and a 'regression to segregation.'
"I cannot imagine, in a bill we are talking about, that helping those who need it the most with a path to education...that rhetoric would be used," he said. "We have a chance to provide opportunities for more that are trapped in a zip code because politicians arbitrarily decided that."
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick read the final roll call, and afterward, said he hopes the House now moves quickly with passing the Senate version.
The school choice bill passed the Senate in 2023 but was gutted by former House Speaker Dade Phelan in the 11th hour, right before the session ended. Newly elected speaker Dustin Burrows has said they plan to debate and vote on the matter in this session. He has not laid out an exact date for when they will begin their debates.
It has been the number one emergency priority for Governor Greg Abbott this session.
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