Here’s a quick recap of what happened over the last week:
Abbott’s Mixed Messages on Vouchers
In what will likely be the most contentious and emotional fight of the 2025 session, the issue of school choice – or vouchers – has led to an intense debate on what – if any – negative effects a voucher program will have on public schools. Last Wednesday on X, Abbott acknowledged that public schools indeed could lose money if a voucher plan were enacted.
Public schools are funded through a daily allotment of funds given to each school district based on their daily attendance. Therefore, when a parent chooses to use the voucher money to send their child to a private school, the money for that particular student would not be sent to the school district.
Abbott posted that therefore “the people defunding schools are PARENTS choosing a better option than what their assigned school provides.” Abbott went on to say, “When they leave, the funding for that child leaves, too.”
However, after consideration, Abbott then went to X the next day to reverse course and insist public schools won’t lose any money. Abbott said, “School choice doesn’t take a penny away from public schools, it’s funded separately like roads and water.’
Voucher Fight Gets Personal
That series of tweets led to critics pouncing on the voucher proposals, saying Abbott had finally admitted that public schools will lose money. Furthermore, the argument became personal when Gov. Abbott and Rep. Gina Hinojosa – Democrat from Austin – traded emotional and personal insults on X Friday night. Abbott has gone to X many times since the beginning of session to reiterate his support of vouchers and has also cited many public opinion polls that show voters in the state support the programs to allow parents to use tax dollars for private school tuition.
The back and forth started when Rep. Hinojosa posted an interactive link to show users whether local school districts will lose money if the voucher, or school choice, legislation is enacted. Abbott responded by saying, “Can we really trust the former head of the woke Austin school board to give us the facts about our children’s education?”. Hinojosa then responded, “Call me a liar to my face,” and went on to call vouchers a “scam that’s backed by billionaires, not Texans.” There was more back and forth between Gov. Abbott and Rep. Hinojosa.
But then, former Gubernatorial, US Senate, and Presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke chimed in to insinuate that Gov. Abbott did not care about “low-income kids” since Texas has the highest rate of uninsured children in the US. Abbott then responded by reminding O’Rourke that Abbott defeated him by 11 points in the 2022 Governor’s race and that he had also lost a race for the US Senate here in Texas and a failed Presidential bid.
Other members chimed in, and the exchange went on for a while, but suffice it to say, the voucher debate is bringing out high emotions in our elected officials on both sides of the aisle, all the way from the Governor’s Mansion to the House floor.
State and National Leaders Pushing Vouchers
Supporters at all levels are mounting a full-court press to try and pass the voucher legislation. In addition to the activity on social media, Abbott is making the rounds to push his top priority for the session. On Monday, he along with Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows went to San Antonio Christian School to speak on “parent empowerment”. Abbott and Burrows were joined by Texas House Public Education Committee Chairman Brad Buckley (R, Killeen) and several members of the committee. They all predicted successful passage of the legislation.
Abbott then kicked off the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation’s policy summit on Wednesday with a keynote speech that predominately focused on the passage of voucher legislation. He assured the crowd there that the House has the necessary votes to pass voucher legislation.
US Senator Ted Cruz has now weighed in on the issue by sending a letter to all 88 Texas House Republicans urging passage of a voucher bill. This follows social media posts by President Trump and Elon Musk that have advocated for passage as well. Musk posted, “I hope Dustin Burrows (Texas House Speaker) passes school choice in Texas to give kids a chance.”
The voucher proposal has already passed the more collegial Senate and now awaits consideration in the more emotional charged and divided Texas House, where emotions and nasty exchanges – in person and on social media – will undoubtedly continue.
Bail Reform Passes Senate
The Texas Senate has passed a package of three bills aimed at keeping violent criminal defendants in jail as opposed to being released on bail. The bills seek to tighten the state’s bail policies by keeping defendants in jail until there is a resolution to their cases. Under the proposals, judges would be allowed to deny bail to defendants accused of murder, kidnapping, and robbery or assault with a weapon. Additionally, judges would be restricted from allowing bail to undocumented immigrants accused of any felony offense. The measure passed with only two opposing votes in the Senate. The measures now head to the Texas House, where Speaker Burrows has committed to support the measures. However, similar measures have previously passed the Senate only to die in the House. Bail reform in the House has been met with resistance from members who have voiced concerns with the constitutionality of denying bail to anyone due to their immigration status. Furthermore, concerns have been raised in the House over the new policies leading to overcrowding in county jails that are already plagued with low staffing levels. Gov. Abbott and Lt. Governor Patrick have made bail reform a priority for this session.
Senate Committee Approves Teacher Pay Raise Legislation
The Texas Senate Education Committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 26 yesterday, which calls a raise teacher pay in Texas. The cost of the bill is nearly $5 Billion–most significantly, it includes teacher pay raises based on experience and an additive for teachers working in smaller school districts.
Under SB 26, in a school district with 5,000 or fewer students, teachers with three to five years of experience would get a $5,000 raise. Teachers with five or more years of experience would get $10,000. In larger districts, the increases are $2,500 for teachers in the three- to five-year range and $5,500 for teachers with at least five years of experience. Additionally, the bill establishes a merit pay program that allocated performance-based bonuses for teachers. Currently, about a third of Texas school districts participate in the incentive allotment program. While the bill does expand eligibility, it would only allow for about 50% of districts to be eligible for participation. Lastly, the most favorable provision is that SB 26 would make Pre-K free for teachers’ children.
The teacher pay raise legislation comes on the heels of the passage in the Senate of SB 2, the aforementioned voucher bill establishing education savings accounts (ESAs). Yesterday, the House filed its version of the voucher legislation, HB 3. The House version of the voucher program – or ESAs — would allocate $10,000 per student in taxpayer funds—up to an estimated 100,000 Texas students—for various educational expenses, including private school tuition. The House bill also adds a provision that any increase in voucher spending by the state must be accompanied by funding for public schools. Both the House and Senate proposals allocate $1 billion to fund the program.
Texas Lottery Commission Under Fire
The Texas Senate Finance Committee’s recent budget hearing quickly turned into a bipartisan bashing of the Texas Lottery Commission, with lawmakers raising concerns about potential illegal activities and regulatory failures. A major point of contention was the commission’s complacency regarding courier services that allow individuals to purchase lottery tickets via mobile phone apps—a practice that could facilitate large-scale ticket purchases to launder illegal funds. This scrutiny follows an April 2023 scandal in which wealthy investors bought nearly all possible number combinations in a Texas Lotto draw, securing a $95 million jackpot. Investigations revealed that this required processing over 25 million combinations within 72 hours, exposing serious regulatory gaps.
The Senate Finance Committee is now pushing for a full investigation into the commission’s practices. Additionally, with the Texas Lottery Commission up for a Sunset Review during this legislative session, lawmakers will decide whether the agency should continue to exist. Shortly after the Senate Finance Committee scrutinized the commission last Wednesday, they sought clarification from the Attorney General’s Office regarding the authority to regulate courier transactions. This request comes amid an ongoing lawsuit involving the commission.
Additionally, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has declared a complete loss of trust in the Texas Lottery and announced his own investigation into the agency and its practices. The most recent winning ticket was purchased at a Winner’s Corner store in Austin, which is owned by a courier service linked to DraftKings. This North Austin location has previously sold other winning tickets that awarded millions of dollars in prizes.
Patrick visited the store to question the manager about its ownership and operations. They stated that the ticket was legitimately purchased through the Jackpot.com platform and denied any involvement in bulk purchasing. Two years ago, the Texas Senate passed legislation to prohibit such third-party companies from selling lottery tickets in Texas, which died in the House. There are bills reintroduced this session in both chambers to outlaw the practice of allowing third party services to sell lottery tickets.
Measles Outbreak in West Texas
A significant measles outbreak has emerged in West Texas, marking the most severe occurrence for Texas in nearly 30 years. As of this week, 58 cases have been reported, primarily affecting unvaccinated individuals, including mostly children. The outbreak is concentrated in Gaines County, Texas, and has spread to neighboring counties such as Terry, Yoakum, Lynn, and Lubbock. Additionally, eight cases have been diagnosed in eastern New Mexico. Earlier in January, two adult cases were reported in Harris County.
The majority of those infected are unvaccinated, with 13 individuals requiring hospitalization. In response, health officials in Gaines County are opening vaccination clinics and conducting educational efforts to curb the spread. Vaccination rates among kindergartners in Texas has dropped almost 3% since the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccine exemption requests have doubled since 2018.
While the majority of cases come from unvaccinated individuals, four of the 58 currently reported cases are confirmed of vaccinated individuals. Due to measles’ highly contagious nature, the Texas health department is scrambling to contain the outbreak. The Associated Press has also reported that as many as 200 to 300 people in Gaines County may have contracted measles but have not yet been tested.
Abbott Calls for Investigation of School District Assisting Transition
Gov. Abbott has called for the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to investigate Houston ISD’s Bellaire High School after an anonymous complaint alleged that staff had been using a student’s chosen name and pronouns without parental consent.
The complaint was sent to the Moms for Liberty chapter in Harris County, which then brought the complaint to state officials. Denise Bell, testifying on behalf of the anonymous parent, claimed that the student, a junior, had first received a form to address their pronouns as a freshman and that teachers had since been addressing the student by a different name and pronouns without informing the parents.
Gov. Abbott has since called for the TEA to investigate what has come to be known as the “social transitioning” of a student. Abbott described the situation as an instance of “social transitioning,” which refers to a person changing their name, pronouns, or appearance to align with their gender identity. This differs from medical transitioning, which may involve surgery or medication.
It remains unclear what policies were violated, as Texas does not currently have a law prohibiting school staff from using a student’s chosen name or pronouns. While some states have passed restrictions on teachers’ use of different names or pronouns without parental consent, Texas has not, leaving the scope and timeline of the TEA investigation uncertain. However, there are several bills that have been introduced this session in both chambers to require school districts to inform the parents when a student displays any conduct related to transition and gender identity.
Texas Supreme Court Dismisses Paxton Case
Last Friday, the Texas Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by the State Bar against Attorney General Ken Paxton for his involvement in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election. The State Bar had sought to sanction Paxton for allegedly making false claims regarding evidence of election wrongdoing in other states. Paxton had filed suit contesting the election results in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. That case was ultimately dismissed by the US Supreme Court. The dismissal of the suit filed by the State Bar came three weeks after the Bar asked the court to dismiss the suit, citing an earlier dismissal of a similar lawsuit against a Paxton aide for his involvement in attempting to overturn the 2020 election.
This is the latest in a series of court victories for Paxton. In March, prosecutors dropped a several year’s long felony indictment alleging securities fraud charges against Paxton. That agreement required Paxton to perform 100 hours of community service and pay $270,000 in restitution. Paxton also survived an impeachment battle that saw the Texas House impeach Paxton for allegations of bribery and abuse of office brought forth by former Attorney General employees. Paxton was then acquitted by the Texas Senate.
However, Paxton does remain under investigation by the FBI for the same allegations brought forth by the former employees. That investigation was started by the Department of Justice under the Biden administration. It is considered unlikely that the DOJ under the Trump administration will pursue the investigation further.
Warmer Weather Next Week
We all suffered through the arctic cold front this week that has brought severe winter weather to most areas of the state. The National Weather Service issued cold weather advisories and extreme cold warnings that will last through Saturday. While wintery-mix snow and ice have been minimal across the states, there are forecasts for a possible wintry mix to hit Austin and surrounding areas later tonight and into tomorrow morning. In Austin, temperatures today will fall from the mid-to-low 40s to the low 20s by nightfall.
Wind chills this week have made it feel 0 or colder in many parts of the state. With some reports of temperatures in the teens and single digits, wind chills fell to as low as -10°F. The good news is temperatures will begin to rise on Sunday and continue warming through the early part of next week. Hopefully, this is our last really cold blast of the year. But by June, we will all be wishing for a cold front once we have several days in a row of 100-degree temperatures.
Political Notes
Fallout from the contentious race for Texas House Speaker continues for Republican House members who supported Speaker Dustin Burrows over Rep. David Cook, the choice of the House Republican Caucus. This week, the Dallas County Republican party censured Rep. Angie Chen Button of Richardson and Rep. Morgan Meyer of Dallas for their support of Burrows.
Dallas County GOP executive committee member Allen West this week said that he plans to penalize the two members by keeping them off the 2026 Republican primary ballot. The State Republican Executive Committee has not formally censured all 36 Texas House members that supported Burrows but has instructed county level chapters on how to discipline members, including denying their candidacy in 2026.
What’s Next??
The Senate has adjourned until 9AM on Monday, when it will meet only to refer filed bills to committees. They will then adjourn until 11AM Tuesday.
The House is adjourned until Tuesday at 2PM.