Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced the first 25 of 40 Texas Senate priority bills, outlining several hot-topic issues he says will bolster Trump's agenda.

The Texas Senate Education Committee on Tuesday night voted to advance school voucher legislation for a full vote in the Senate after hours of public testimony largely focused on whether the proposal would live up to its promise of prioritizing low-income families and children with disabilities.

The proposal, a priority of Gov. Greg Abbott, budgets $1 billion over the next two years to fund the private school vouchers.

After hours of testimony Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Education advanced Senate Bill 2, a school voucher bill, setting it up for a floor vote.

Senate Bill 2, authored by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), would create an "Education Savings Account" (ESA) program that would allow Texas families to use public tax dollars to help pay for private education.

Legislation advances after a budget analysis estimates the cost of the voucher-style program will nearly quadruple in 4 years.

Both chambers are off to a fast start, with each unveiling its plan to guide state spending for the two-year budget cycle that starts Sept. 1.

A bipartisan group of rural Republicans and Democrats killed the idea in the legislature two years ago. This year, Governor Abbott believes he has the votes.

"We're going to pass it out before next Wednesday and we're going to send it over there like a rocket ship next week," Patrick said.

Vouchers would let parents use public funds to pay for their kids’ private education. Learn about how they could work and the political battle around them.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says the Texas Senate will approve a bill next Wednesday to allocate $1 billion in taxpayer money for thousands of students to attend private schools. The bill, SB 2, has already passed the Senate Education K-16 Committee.