Texas House bill by Rep. Bucy establishes skills training program for students with disabilities

Passed bill authored by State Rep. John Bucy III seeks to provide educational and occupational skills training opportunities and support services for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities through the Building Better Futures Program, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 53 Democrats and 53 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 27 Republicans opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 10 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, while one Democrat voted against it.

John Bucy III introduced the bill in the Texas House on Friday, Jan. 24, during the 89th regular legislative session.

IIII graduated from Austin College in 2006 with a BA.

IIII, a Democrat, was elected to the Texas State House in 2019 to represent the state’s 136th House district, replacing previous state representative Tony Dale.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the establishment of the Building Better Futures Program to support educational and occupational skills training opportunities and support services for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities at public and private institutions of higher education’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill establishes the Building Better Futures Program to provide educational and occupational skills training opportunities and support services for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities at public and private institutions of higher education in Texas. Administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the program includes a competitive application process for funding awards to eligible institutions. Institutions must be approved or awaiting approval to offer a comprehensive transition program and meet specific criteria, including a selective admissions process, to participate. Students must fulfill eligibility requirements, including U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency, state residency, and a diagnosis of intellectual or developmental disability. The board is authorized to use any available revenue for funding and adopt rules to implement the program. The act takes effect immediately if it receives a two-thirds majority vote in both legislative houses, otherwise on Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. Trent Ashby (Republican – District 9), Rep. Greg Bonnen (Republican – District 24), and Rep. Donna Howard (Democrat – District 48), along with four other authors.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Tuesday, May 13, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday, May 26.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.