Texas House has enough votes to pass a school choice bill, Gov. Greg Abbott says

AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas House has enough votes to pass school choice legislation, Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday.

What we know:

House Bill 3, the chamber's version of a bill allowing families to use public funds to fund private education, appears to have enough support after 75 Republicans signed on to the bill filed by Rep. Brad Buckley.

The move signals a narrow majority to pass the bill, something that has been a problem in the past.

What we don't know:

The bill currently has enough support to pass, but several things could change before the bill is put up for a vote. The bill will have to be adjusted as both chambers work out the differences between the different versions.

What they're saying:

"For the first time in our great state's history, the Texas House has the votes to pass a universal school choice program," Abbott said. "This is a remarkable achievement for the countless parents, students and educators across Texas who want school choice expanded to all families."

The governor went on to thank various members of both chambers.

"This session, Texas will usher in a new era where families have the opportunity to choose the learning environment that meets the unique needs of their children," Abbott said. "I will continue working closely with both chambers of the Texas Legislature to get the biggest launch of any universal school choice program in the nation to my desk, where it will be swiftly signed into law."

H.B. 3 vs. S.B. 2

The Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 2 earlier this month. That bill also establishes savings accounts for families to use public money for private education.

House Bill 3 is similar to Senate Bill 2 in that both bills would require a $1 billion investment from the state to establish the accounts.

Under both bills, families chosen for the program would be allowed to use the funds on private school tuition, textbooks, transportation and other education expenses.

READ MORE: Texas Senate passes SB2, would allow parents to use tax funds for private schools

The bills start to move away from each other when it comes to who is considered for the accounts and how much each student would receive.

While Senate Bill 2 would add a flat $10,000 to a student's savings account, the House version sets the number at "85 percent of the estimated statewide average amount of state and local funding per student in average daily attendance for the applicable school year."

The other difference is in how the programs choose who gets a spot if more applications are received.

Who didn't co-author?

Lawmakers traditionally sign on as co-authors of a bill to publicly show support for the bill. If all the co-authors remain on the bill as it evolves, then the bill would pass the 150-member House, 76-74.

There were some notable names left off the co-author list.

None of the chamber's 62 Democrats were among those who signed, and 12 Republicans were also not on the list.

Among those not on the list is House Speaker Dustin Burrows, though he has previously signaled support for school choice and was thanked by name in Abbott's statement.

The other 11 were:

• Gary VanDeaver
• Jay Dean
• Brian Harrison
• Dade Phelan
• Jeffrey Barry
• Ryan Guillen
• Stan Lambert
• Drew Darby
• Ken King
• Charlie Geren
• Sam Harless