In a hearing on House Bill 3, Republicans argued the program should be open to all students while Democrats criticized outcomes in other states.

Members of the House Committee on Public Education clashed over the details of a school voucher bill — a topic that for the past couple of years has driven a wedge in the Republican Party and prompted Gov. Greg Abbott last year to help unseat incumbent Republican lawmakers who stood against a "school choice" proposal in 2023.

As Lowcountry lawmakers push the intention of school choice through a private voucher program, community leaders say the focus needs to move toward protecting public resources instead.