Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick names private school vouchers as his top legislative priority

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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Friday declared private school voucher legislation his number one issue for the legislative session beginning in January and called on Gov. Greg Abbott to declare it an emergency item.

“School choice is my top policy priority,” Patrick said in a statement. “Thirty-two states, both Republican and Democrat, have enacted some form of school choice legislation. There is absolutely no reason why Texas children and parents should be left behind.”

Patrick, who presides over the Texas Senate and exerts considerable influence over the legislative process, has reserved Senate Bill 2 for the yet-to-be-authored proposal, emphasizing the importance he’s placing on the measure. Senate Bill 1, he said, will be the state budget, the only bill the Legislature is legally required to pass every session.

“Texans across the political spectrum agree that parents must have options to choose the school that best fits the needs of their child to ensure their success,” Patrick added. “Voters have spoken clearly during the primary and general elections; the time for school choice in Texas is long overdue.”

School choice is a term frequently used to describe school vouchers, programs that use taxpayer money to help pay for students’ private schooling. During last year’s session, supporters pushed for a voucher-like program called education savings accounts, which would give public funds directly to families who opt out of the state’s public education system so they can pay for private school tuition and other education-related expenses.

Patrick called on Abbott to declare school vouchers an emergency item to allow lawmakers to get a head start on pushing the bill through the Legislature. By law, the Legislature cannot pass any bills within the first 60 days of the session unless the governor has deemed them emergency items.

“If Gov. Abbott names school choice an emergency item, the Senate will take up and pass school choice in the early weeks of session, instead of having to wait 60 days until March,” Patrick said.

Abbott has made school vouchers his top priority in the last two years and went to war with fellow Republicans in the House who joined Democrats to block school voucher legislation last session. He successfully ousted many of them and replaced them with Republicans who support the idea of using public funds to pay for education at private schools. Abbott now believes he has 79 “hardcore school choice proponents,” more than the simple majority required to pass a bill in the 150-member chamber.

Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Patrick also had pointed words for the Texas House, which has repeatedly blocked school voucher bills in the last decade. Those efforts often have been spearheaded by Democrats, who largely oppose the use of public funds to pay for private school educations, and rural Republicans, who say the diversion of funds would harm their public schools, which are some of their districts’ top employers.

“Since 2015, the Senate has passed school choice five times,” Patrick wrote. “It died in a Republican-controlled House each time. That is unacceptable and inexcusable.”

Embattled House Speaker Dade Phelan, a fellow Republican, has been criticized by the right wing of his party — including Patrick — for not pushing harder for school vouchers. A group of 47 GOP House lawmakers and elected candidates have signed on to support a different Republican, Rep. David Cook of Mansfield, for House speaker, partly in response to the failure to pass school vouchers.

Since last year’s session, Phelan has revamped his senior management team and tried to make amends with Abbott, who supported him in the general election. Phelan has indicated an openness to school voucher legislation but has not provided details about what kind of bill he would back. Phelan’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Patrick’s announcement Friday puts added pressure on Abbott and Phelan to expedite the passage of school voucher legislation. It also adds another wrinkle to Phelan’s ongoing battle to keep the speaker’s gavel.