Vouchers and the Texas House of Representatives

The Texas lower house consists of 150 legislative districts. The members representing these districts are re-elected every two years, with the next election in November, 2024. The previous so-called off-year election was in November, 2022. The existing membership, as of July, 2024, consists of 86 Republicans and 64 Democrats.

In the last legislative session a major goal of Gov. Abbott was to pass legislation that would have provided vouchers to parents of school-age children. The vouchers could have been used at any private school in Texas, religious or secuar. Such legislation was thwarted by a coalition of Democrats and 21 predominantly rural Republicans. At most seven of those 21 will be present when the Legislature meets in January of 2025, either due to voluntary retirement or defeat in the Republican primary election process. Gov. Abbott was influential in directing very large amounts of money to help defeat those Republicans who did not support vouchers in the last session. Funds available to him and other Texas organizations were substantially supplemented by funds flowing from out-of-state, most strikingly by a single donation of $6 million from billionaire Jeff Yass of Pennsylvania.

“AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott received a $6 million campaign contribution last month, which his campaign is calling the “largest single donation in Texas history.” The check came from Jeff Yass, a national Republican megadonor whose priority issues include school vouchers, Abbott spent 2023 unsuccessfully pushing for a voucher program and is now targeting state House Republicans in the March primary who thwarted his agenda.” (Patrick Svitek, Texas Tribune Jan. 16, 2024)

Other major amounts came from individuals and organizations which have been promoting school choice more generally, and school vouchers in particular, for many years.