Houston Chronicle by Jasper Scherer 2/8/2023
Nine of the 13 members of the House Public Education Committee have previously opposed the idea of using taxpayer money to fund private education.Amid a conservative push for private school vouchers, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan on Wednesday stocked the committee that will set K-12 policies this session full of lawmakers who have opposed using taxpayer money for private education.
Phelan, a Beaumont Republican who decides the makeup of every committee in the lower chamber, appointed state Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Killeen, to chair the House Public Education Committee. Buckley replaces state Rep. Harold Dutton, the Houston Democrat who was Phelan’s surprise pick to chair the panel in 2021.
Dutton will remain one of the group's 13 members, and one of nine — Buckley included — who voted to ban private school vouchers last session.
Among those who joined Dutton and Buckley in 2021 were Republican state Reps. Steve Allison of San Antonio, Cody Harris of Palestine, and Ken King of Canadian. Democrats Alma Allen of Houston and Oscar Longoria of Mission, along with Austin Reps. Gina Hinojosa and James Talarico, also voted for the ban, which ultimately passed the House by a 115-29 margin.
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