The Texas Senate unanimously passed House Bill 2, allocating $8.5 billion in new funding for public schools over the next two years. This amount is $500 million more than the previous agreement. The bill received bipartisan support and now moves to the Texas House,

The legislation includes new pots of money for teacher raises and other school costs like insurance and transportation. It now heads to the House, where leaders say it will pass.

Texas public schools are one step closer to receiving new state money after the Senate on Friday unanimously approved an $8.5 billion funding package, a deal born out of lengthy negotiations with the House.