He threatened. He baited. But no amount of sticks or carrots helped Texas Governor Greg Abbott pass school vouchers—a means of redirecting public dollars to private institutions—during a third special legislative session he had explicitly called to see his pet project passed. After the state House twice rejected vouchers in the regular 88th legislative session, Abbott failed to persuade lawmakers. Again.
Last Tuesday, Abbott made a fourth-quarter effort to pass vouchers when he announced he had struck a deal with House leadership. “Working with Speaker [Dade] Phelan and his House leadership team, the Speaker and I reached an agreement on school choice for Texas families,” Abbott said.
But after Phelan dismissed House members Wednesday evening without any discussion of voucher proposals and announced a return Monday or Tuesday, when the session ends, it was clear: School vouchers are dead in Texas. For now.
