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TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION House passes school-voucher bill
STATE CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS
The Texas House on April 17 passed Gov. Greg Abbott’s school-voucher bill after a yearslong campaign by the governor and his allies, the Austin American- Statesman reported.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate, announced the next day he recommended that chamber accept the House version, which prioritizes children with special-education needs for vouchers. The Senate version, which is less restrictive, passed in early February.
In addition to passing the voucher legislation, the House authorized a $7.7 billion schoolfinance package, which will increase the base-level funding per student by almost $400 — to $6,555 — and pays for teacher raises and increases in special education funding. The Senate’s version is considerably different, so the two school finance bills will have to be reconciled.
House cuts Lottery Commission budget to zero The budget for the Texas Lottery Commission was reduced to zero in the 2026-2027 budget passed by the House, the Statesman reported.
The commission has been under fire for not aggressively curtailing third-party “courier companies” that broker ticket sales for players online.
In one instance, a single player bought enough tickets to guarantee a winning ticket for a $95 million jackpot, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The Senate has already passed a bill outlawing courier companies. It is uncertain whether the Senate will go along with the House measure to end all lottery commission funding.
The lottery brings about $2 billion a year to the state treasury.
Senate bill would ban fluoride in water systems A bill filed by state Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, would ban adding fluoride to public drinking water, a cause being championed by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Dallas Morning News reported Hall talked about the potential side effects of consuming an “excessive amount” of fluoride.
Health officials assert fluoride has protected against tooth decay and resulted in fewer cavities over the decades it has been added to public water systems. Hall’s bill would ban adding “any form of fluoride to any public water supply for the purpose of fluoridation, regardless of the intended concentration.”
Kennedy has said he plans to ask the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation of public water systems.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has also called for a ban on water fluoridation. In Texas, nearly threefourths of the state’s population drinks water with fluoride in it, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
House agrees to pay back Paxton Largely along party lines, the House agreed to urge budget writers to give Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton nearly $64,000 in back pay to cover the period when he was suspended while impeached.
The Chronicle reported the measure passed by a margin of 88-56. Paxton was impeached by the House in 2023, but the Senate acquitted him. He went without pay for about three months.
“If we believe that not only politicians but regular citizens are entitled to the presumption of innocence, we should truly believe that he should have been entitled to his salary during the course of this suspension,” said state Rep. Mitch Little, R-Lewisville, the bill’s sponsor. “Now that he’s been acquitted, if you broke it, you bought it.”
The House and Senate versions of the budget still have to be reconciled.
Middleton jumps into Texas AG’s race Republican state Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, has jumped into the race to replace Paxton, who is pursuing a primary challenge to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. The Chronicle reported that Middleton will selffund his campaign with $10 million.
“I am running for Texas attorney general to continue the fight for our shared conservative values that keep the ‘Texas Miracle’ alive,” Middleton said in a statement. “As attorney general, I will join President Trump in his efforts to return America and Texas to common sense and to fight to secure the border, ensure law and order, and be tough on crime.”
Middleton was elected to the Senate in 2021 after previously serving in the House. Former U.S. Attorney John Bash declared earlier he also was seeking the position.
