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 education savings account package is the first bill to be sent to the Senate floor this year, reflecting urgency from Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to pass the legislation after similar proposals died during the 2023 legislative session.

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.

Under the Texas Constitution, the House and Senate cannot pass legislation during the first 60 days of a regular session, except for bills related to the governor’s emergency items.

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

The Senate education committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 2, which would establish education savings accounts.

"We're going to pass it out before next Wednesday and we're going to send it over there like a rocket ship next week," Patrick said.

Vouchers would let parents use public funds to pay for their kids’ private education. Learn about how they could work and the political battle around them.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says the Texas Senate will approve a bill next Wednesday to allocate $1 billion in taxpayer money for thousands of students to attend private schools. The bill, SB 2, has already passed the Senate Education K-16 Committee.