AUSTIN (Nexstar) — In two weeks the Texas Legislature will be back in session in Austin to deliberate on thousands of bills — a historic amount — that have already been pre-filed. Historically only about 15% of bills filed at the Texas Capitol are actually passed, meaning lawmakers will have to prioritize what they want to get done.
State Republicans, who will hold a healthy majority in both chambers of the Capitol, have made it clear one of the top priorities this session will be school choice. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick already said it was his top priority and Gov. Greg Abbott said Republicans have the votes needed to pass.
We do not yet know the specifics of the school choice bill, but state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, explained, “I think we’ll have a full universal bill this time around just as we did last time around, and I expect there to be a priority set.”
School choice is not the only focus for state Republicans this year. Abraham George, the chair of the Texas Republican Party, said there are 11 priorities for the Texas GOP.