With the legislation, Texas becomes the 16th state to pass universal school choice, joining states like Florida, Arizona, Utah, and North Carolina. In total, 30 states and the District of Columbia

The $1 billion proposal, which proponents call school choice, would give students roughly $10,500 in taxpayer money for private school tuition.

The Texas Senate voted on Thursday to send legislation creating a statewide private school voucher program to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk to be signed into law, all but concluding an ugly intraparty battle that has dominated state politics for much of the last two years.