Late Tuesday night the Texas Education Committee voted to advance State Bill 2 with a 9-2 Republican majority pushing the bill forward despite facing opposition on both sides of the political aisle.

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 Senate could vote on the proposal as soon as next week. Democrats on Tuesday criticized the bill saying it fails to prioritize the state’s neediest children.

Senate Bill 2 starts a new debate on a school voucher program in Texas. A funding proposal would allow up to 100,000 K-12 students who want to enroll to a private school to participate.

The school voucher debate officially started today in the Texas Senate. The new proposal would set aside a billion dollars for so-called “education savings accounts,” essentially an incentive to pull kids from public school and put them in private school.

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.

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

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

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.

The first glimpse of Texas' Education Savings Account Program, a major legislative priority for Governor Greg Abbott, has emerged, sparking debate across the political spectrum. According to the bill filed by nine senators in the Texas Senate,