AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa issued the following statement after Texas House Democrats voted to defeat private school voucher scams once again: 

“Today, our Texas House Democrats voted to defeat House Bill 1 – a bill designed as a bribe to pass Greg Abbott’s voucher scam by diverting public dollars from public schools and giving handouts to wealthy families so their kids can continue attending private and religious schools – while working Texas families foot the bill and our public schools are left to crumble. Greg Abbott and his cronies in the Pink Dome have mastered the art of the snake oil salesman, and we’re proud of our Texas Democrats who fought against their plot to defund our public education system at every step. This is a major victory for our kids, our teachers, and the majority of Texans across the state who oppose defunding our neighborhood schools to subsidize private education for the wealthy.

“We say to Greg Abbott: Nice try. But Abbott’s authoritarian approach to passing his agenda has not – and will not – deter Texas Democrats’ commitment to ensuring a better future for the millions of children that attend public schools. We will continue to fight for public education no matter what. Period. Now, we call on the Governor to support a clean school finance bill — one that fully funds our schools, gives our teachers the pay raise they deserve, and actually helps our kids. No more bribes — let’s come together to help our children achieve dreams as big as Texas.”

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