Texas House debates and votes on school funding bill ahead of voucher bill

AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) -- Lawmakers in the Texas House are debating the priority of public school funding bills, which include school vouchers. After years of stalling in the state House, the controversial school voucher bill now has its best shot on Wednesday.

The Texas House is debating two separate bills. Both will impact the future of public education in the state.

A lot of the focus has been on school vouchers, also known as Education Savings Accounts, which are in Senate Bill 2. As the day got started, the House voted to postpone any discussion on Senate Bill 2 and first discuss and debate House Bill 2.

House Bill 2 is all about school finance. It is a sweeping $8 billion proposal to boost public school funding with several measures, including increasing the amount of money districts receive for each student, raising teacher pay, and overhauling how Texas funds special education.

The House has voted and passed House Bill 2, and has moved on to Senate Bill 2.

Gov. Greg Abbott said he has the numbers to pass the bill, but passage is not guaranteed.

Democrats are threatening to kill all proposed constitutional amendments for the rest of the legislative session unless the House puts the school voucher issue on the November election ballot for voters to decide on.

The voucher bill would give Texas families more than $10,000 yearly to send their children to private school.

Democrats and some Republicans oppose the bill, saying it will strip funding from public schools.

Protesters filled the halls of the Texas Capitol Wednesday morning, saying they want funding for public schools, not vouchers.

The legislative battle comes after years of failed attempts to pass similar bills.

Wednesday's debate is expected to last several hours.

RELATED: Voucher bills want to prioritize low-income families and be open to all, but goals might be at odds

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