After nearly 11 hours of debate, the Texas House approved early Thursday a controversial bill that would provide eligible families with public funds to help pay for private school tuition. The school choice bill was passed in an 85-63 vote – two were absent.

In a seismic shift for Texas education that could have ramifications for decades, the state House signed off on a plan early Thursday to allow parents to use state dollars to pay for their children’s private school education.

After nearly 30 years of stalled efforts, Texas is in line to become the largest state with a universal private school choice program. The Republican-controlled state House of Representatives approved a $1 billion measure Thursday—which gets the legislation closer than ever to the governor’s desk.