The Texas Parental Empowerment Act of 2025 will allow state funds to follow students to any school that serves their needs.
By Emily Medeiros – November 13, 2024 – State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) has filed legislation that will offer all Texas parents greater control over their children’s education.
House Bill 212 creates a “Parent Empowerment Program” that would be administered by the Texas Comptroller. It would allow “state funds to follow students to the educational institutions that best meet their needs.”
According to the legislation, parents who choose to send their children to private schools may apply for reimbursement from the state in an amount that is the “lesser of the tuition paid; or 80 percent of the state average maintenance and operations expenditures per student.”
HB 212 specifies that money from the available school fund and federal funds may not be used to pay the program’s reimbursements, meaning the program will not be paid for by diverting funds from current government school financing.
Additionally, any savings from the program will be reinvested back into Texas public and charter schools.
Cain’s bill also states that private schools “voluntarily selected by a parent for the parent’s child to attend, with or without governmental assistance, may not be required to comply with any state law or rule governing the school’s educational program that was not in effect on January 1, 2025.”
Home schools are not mentioned in the bill, but in Texas they are considered private schools.
“Texas parents know best what works for their children, and this legislation puts that belief into action,” said Cain. “It’s time we fully recognize that children belong to their parents, not to the government, and empower Texas families with true educational choice.”
“This bill helps create a better future by allowing parents to decide the best educational setting for their child,” he concluded.
A fiscal note is not yet attached to the bill, but HB 212 authorizes the comptroller’s office to deduct up to two percent of the program’s reimbursement amounts for administrative costs.
Cain’s legislation comes days after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that his top policy priority for the upcoming legislative session is school choice. Patrick also said that if Gov. Greg Abbott declares school choice one of his emergency items this session, the Texas Senate will pass school choice in the early weeks of the session.
The 89th Legislative Session is set to begin on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.
