Pearland Republican Jeff Barry has long been skeptical of school vouchers, but on Thursday morning he voted to create what could become the largest voucher program in the nation. Barry, a freshman House lawmaker,

Anti-voucher Republicans said they voted for the bill so they could fight to improve it, and also to fend off political retribution.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott met with House Republicans for a pep talk hours before the vote on a school choice bill that would spend $1 billion in taxpayer money to send students to private schools. After the meeting,