Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed a school choice bill into law on Saturday. (REUTERS/Callaghan O'hare)
Abbott was joined by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, state House Speaker Dustin Burrows, bill author and state Sen. Brandon Creighton, U.S. Senator John Cornyn, school choice advocates and students and their families.
"From here forward, [Texas students] will have unlimited potential and unlimited options in education to pursue for the rest of their path and education and what their families do best, and that in of itself was worth the journey," Creighton said.
Texas joins more than 30 other states that already have similar programs. The Lone Star State will have the largest voucher program in the country.
School vouchers have been Abbott’s main focus this year, following last year's election cycle in which he called for Republican primary voters to remove from office GOP lawmakers who voted against a similar bill in the last legislative session that the governor had supported.
Texas joins more than 30 other states that already have similar programs. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
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Starting next school year, families can receive $10,000 per year to help pay for their child's private school tuition or costs for home-schooling and virtual learning programs. Children with disabilities can qualify for as much as $30,000 per year.
The program will be capped at $1 billion for the first year and cover up to 90,000 students. But by 2030, it could cost up to $4.5 billion per year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/texas-gov-abbott-signs-1-billion-voucher-program-law-capping-off-win-school-choice-advocates