AUSTIN, Texas (KSWO) - In Texas, Senate Bill 2 passed 19 to 12, to give what proponents believe is a choice for parents to send their children to private schools. It uses $1 billion in funding from the state for 100,000 students as each student would get $10,000.

Senate Bill 2 would devote public money to defray the cost of private education. Early plans would set aside $1 billion.

Texans also heard from their fellow citizens as part of the Democratic Party’s response to Abbott’s speech, with state Democrats enlisting a public school educator, an OB/GYN, electricians’ union representative and the state’s Democratic chair to represent what the party hoped to project as the voice of everyday Texans.