Gov. Greg Abbott vows to ‘strongly engage’ in promoting education savings accounts

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Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday he will be “strongly involved” in promoting the Education Savings Account program in this legislative session as the idea continues to face uphill battle in the Texas House.

Abbott, in an interview with The Texas Tribune, said he would travel across the state to bring the case to voters, especially in rural areas. Such a program could redirect taxpayer money out of public schools as parents use that money to pay for their children’s private school education, online tutoring, or private tutors. Such proposals usually met with resistance from a coalition of Democrats and rural GOP lawmakers.

“Among rural Republican voters, about 80% support this,” Abbott said, “and I think Republican officials will see this more and more, and I think there may be a change in the perception of what their constituents expect from them.” in Austin. , Texas”.

Abbott touched on this and several other topics in an interview that followed his State of the Union address on Thursday.

Savings accounts for education

One of the hot spots announced by Abbott was “educational freedom,” including education savings accounts for each parent. This would allow the state to contribute taxpayer funds, which parents could then use to pay for their children’s education in schools outside the traditional public education system.

House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, said he was fine with voting up or down on such proposals, but noted that the House of Representatives had previously rejected them by a wide margin. In rural Texas, public school systems are major employers and a source of community pride. There are few private schools in many rural areas.

In the interview, Abbott sought to distinguish between rural Republican lawmakers and their constituents, stating that “rural Republican voters strongly support this.” Last year, 88% of GOP primary voters approved a non-binding proposal that “parents and guardians should have the right to choose schools, public or private, for their children, and funding should follow the student.” It was also overwhelmingly supported in the rural districts.

To garner legislative support, Abbott said he would “bring this show across the state of Texas to reach out to the voters themselves.” Last month, he spoke at a “Parent Empowerment Night” in Corpus Christi hosted by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank in Austin. And he led a similar event Monday night at the Temple, appearing in the backyard of the new House Public Education Committee chairman, Killeen State Rep. Brad Buckley.

Buckley has been opposed to vouchers in the past, but his supporters have expressed optimism that he is now open to the idea.

“I think there is at least a chance that this will have a better chance than ever before, partly because of the composition of the committee, but also partly because of the composition of the participants,” Abbott said.

Florida and DeSantis

Abbott shrugged off the idea that he was stuck in a conservative political rivalry with Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor who is likely to run for president in 2024. Abbott is also a possible candidate for the White House, although he is considered less likely – and formidable. — like DeSantis at the moment.

“The reality is that we’re just focused on Texas and working for our constituents here in our state,” Abbott said.

Although Abbott did not mention Florida or DeSantis by name, he boasted that Texas “was a national leader” in restricting abortion and expanding gun rights. He cited laws he signed into law in 2021 banning most abortions in Texas and allowing gun carrying without a permit, two conservative policy priorities where Florida continues to lag behind Texas.

Abbott also claimed that Texas led the nation with a 2021 law that would prevent major social media companies from blocking users’ posts based on their political views. He said he believes it is the only such law in the country “that has been upheld by the courts so far.”

Abbott said Texas was even ahead of the curve with a 2021 law banning local bans on natural gas as a fuel source. The issue recently became a national controversy after the Biden administration expressed concern to the GOP that it was interested in banning gas stoves, which it quickly denied.

Abbott’s remarks come as DeSantis prepares to make his most anticipated visit to Texas. He’s set to visit Houston and Dallas the first weekend in March to headline the annual county party fundraiser dinners in each city.

Paxton Settlement

Attorney General Ken Paxton caused concern in the Legislature with a $3.3 million preliminary settlement to end a whistleblower lawsuit filed by former MPs. Phelan said last week that he personally opposes the use of taxpayer dollars in a settlement that must be approved by the Legislature.

Abbott also plays a role in this process as the person ultimately responsible for signing or vetoing the state budget into law. While he did not directly object to the use of taxpayer dollars for the settlement, he echoed Phelan, stating that Paxton would have to convince lawmakers to sign the deal.

“This may not even make it to my desk, but as Speaker Phelan has made clear, this is a matter that the attorney general will have to fully explain to both the House of Representatives and the Senate,” Abbott said. “I’m also on the boat to find out more about it.”

At the same time, Abbott appears to have downplayed any specific disagreement over the settlement, saying it is “just like every other budget-type issue I run into.”

“I need full information on the budget to decide if I sign it or not,” Abbott said.

Medical care for transgender children

As conservative activists continue to lobby for legislation to ban certain treatments for transgender children, Abbott said he would sign the proposal if it hit his desk.

The rhetoric of Abbott and other Republicans has focused on surgeries for transgender children, though medical experts say such procedures are very rare. LGBTQ advocates warn that such rhetoric is dangerous for children’s mental health.

However, “ending the gender modification of children” is one of Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s top 30 legislative priorities for this session. It is also a legislative priority for the Republican Party of Texas.

Abbott had already taken over the medical care of transgender children last year when he ordered the Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate transitional childcare as child abuse. However, this did not satisfy Abbott’s inner-party critics, who continue to press for a legislative solution. A similar measure failed in 2021.

Abbott declined to put forward a motion in any of the 2021 special session convenings, saying his chances of getting into the House of Representatives are “zero”. However, he expressed support for a law at some point in the future that defines transition-related care — such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy — as child abuse.

“We really need this as a law,” Abbott said in October 2021, “and obviously it will be stronger if the Legislature passes it, and I want the Legislature to pass it.”

Disclosure: The Texas Public Policy Foundation provides financial support to The Texas Tribune, a non-profit, non-partisan news organization funded in part by donations from members, foundations, and corporate sponsors. Financial sponsors play no role in Tribune journalism. Find their complete list here.