On Tuesday, April 9, Jesse Hervitz, Rabbi Langer of Tiferet Israel in Austin and Natalie Levi, a parent from the Torah Day School of Dallas, testified in the Texas House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Education Committee in support of House Bill 3245, authored by Representative Bill Callegari, and Senate Bill 23, co-authored by Senator Dan Patrick and Senator Ken Paxton. The bills would create School Choice Tax Credit Scholarships for low-income and at-risk students in underperforming schools, so that they can attend accredited private schools that better meet their needs. The programs have the potential to help hundreds of Jewish day school students in Texas.
We are pleased to announce that SB 23 was approved by the Senate Education Committee this morning! The bill now needs 2/3rds of the Senate to vote for the bill to be heard on the Senate floor (known as the “right to suspend”). House bill 3245 is still awaiting a vote in committee.
As lawmakers consider the tax credit scholarship legislation (SB 23; HB 3245), we strongly advise the community to contact members of the House Ways and Means Committee, to urge the elected officials to support the tax scholarship program and key members of the Texas Senate to ask them to allow SB 23 to be brought to a full vote in the Senate.
We have assembled the email addresses of the members, and provided a sample email text below for your convenience. If you would prefer to call the office, you can find the phone number of the members by following these links: Senate Members | House Members
House Ways and Means Committee Members
| Representative Hilderbran | harvey.hilderbran@house.state.tx.us |
| Representative Otto | john.otto@house.state.tx.us |
| Representative Bohac | dwayne.bohac@house.state.tx.us |
| Representative Button | angie.button@house.state.tx.us |
| Representative Eiland | craig.eiland@house.state.tx.us |
| Representative Gonzalez | naomi.gonzalez@house.state.tx.us |
| Representative Fischer | trey.martinez.fischer@house.state.tx.us |
| Representative Ritter | allan.ritter@house.state.tx.us |
| Representative Strama | mark.strama@house.state.tx.us |
Use This Email Script for House Members
Hello, my name is______, I am writing to ask you to please support House Bill 3245 which would extend a state tax credit to businesses that donate to non-profit scholarship organizations. These organizations would provide scholarships to qualifying middle and lower income families to attend accredited private schools that are most suitable to their children’s educational needs. Unlike vouchers, these scholarship programs will use private donations to help families secure the best education for their children. If passed, this program will help give thousands of Texas children a choice in their education. Thank you for your support of educational opportunity in Texas! Thank You, ______________ (Your Name Here)
Key Senators to Contact
| Senator Huffman | joan.huffman@senate.state.tx.us |
| Senator Hinojosa | juan.hinojosa@senate.state.tx.us |
| Senator Carona | john.carona@senate.state.tx.us |
| Senator Lucio | eddie.lucio@senate.state.tx.us |
Use This Email Script
Hello, my name is______, I am writing to ask you to please support SB 23, The Texas Equal Opportunity Scholarship Act. As you may know, SB23 was recently approved by the Senate Education Committee and now needs the 2/3rds vote to allow for consideration in the Senate. SB 23 would extend a state tax credit to businesses that donate to non-profit scholarship organizations. These organizations would provide scholarships to qualifying middle and lower income families to attend accredited private schools that are most suitable to their children’s educational needs. Unlike vouchers, these scholarship programs will use private donations to help families secure the best education for their children. If passed, this program will help give thousands of Texas children a choice in their education. Thank you for your support of educational opportunity in Texas! Thank You, ______________ (Your Name Here)