After nearly 11 hours of debate, the Texas House approved early Thursday a controversial bill that would provide eligible families with public funds to help pay for private school tuition. The school choice bill was passed in an 85-63 vote – two were absent.

Gov. Greg Abbott's victory on "school choice" is not only a signature accomplishment for his political legacy, it cements him as a force whose influence

Unlike the House, which took decades to pass this kind of legislation, the Texas Senate already approved this bill earlier in this session by a 19 to 12 margin. The Senate will now likely have the same outcome when they vote on the changes the House made to their original bill.