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.

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.

A fiscal note for SB 2 from the Texas Senate said the legislation would allow about 35,000 students to attend private school in 2027.

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.