The Texas House of Representatives gaveled in for a historic fourth special session on Tuesday, mere hours after adjourning sine die on this year's third special session.
Gov. Greg Abbott quickly called the lawmakers back to Austin before they had a chance to leave in order to pass his unpopular agenda on school vouchers.
Abbot calls his proposal, "school choice" and "education savings accounts," but it would use state money to help pay for children’s private school tuition. And private schools would be able to reject student applicants at will.
The controversial program has created an unusual coalition of lawmakers including urban Democrats and rural Republicans. They oppose Abbott’s plan based on concerns that vouchers could take away needed funding from public schools.
The voucher proposal is popular with religious groups who would like the public dollars to help pay the tuition at private religious schools. The Texas billionaires backing school vouchers include Tim Dunn and Dan and Farris Wilks who have a history of providing donations to conservative groups like Empower Texans and Texas Right to Life.
Abbott has invested significant political capital this year in pushing the issue and has threatened lawmakers that he will help prop up opponents during primary races if they vote against his signature priority.
Guest:
Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D) San Antonio is leader of the House Democratic caucus.
"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255 or email thesource@tpr.org.
This interview will be recorded Thursday, November 9, 2023.
