A school voucher bill is currently pending in the Texas Public Education committee after it was approved by the state Senate.

On Saturday, the non-profit organizations La Union del Pueblo Entero and UnidosUS held a panel to discuss how the public would be impacted by House Bill 3.

If signed into law, HB 3 would create an education savings account program that uses taxpayer dollars to fund private schooling.

Attendees heard from state representatives, educators and policy experts who said they believe HB 3 will affect public school funding.

“We need to be focusing on funding public schools instead of putting a billion dollars towards a school voucher system that is only going to benefit a small few,” Kaci Wright, a fellow with the Intercultural Development Research Association, said. 

If signed into law, HB 3 will allow parents with children in public schools to apply and receive money to attend a private school.

READ MORE: Debate on House’s school voucher bill centers on a question: Should wealthy Texans be included?

A student would receive a little over $10,000 dollars to pay for private schooling. Students with disabilities would get up to $30,000.

Channel 5 News reached out to State Representative Brad Buckely, who authored HB 3. 

Buckley didn’t respond by Saturday. On Tuesday, during the over 20-hour public education committee hearing on the bill, Buckley said the bill would provide school choice. 

“My intent is to provide families with the best possible educational setting for their child,” Buckley said. “I believe House Bill 3 provides this choice, while prioritizing Texas' most high needs and vulnerable students."

Channel 5 News also reached out to multiple state representatives.

Democratic Representative Erin Gamez said she disagrees with the bill because taxpayer dollars would be possibly spent on promotion.

“It would give the comptroller the authority to use your private taxpayer dollars to hire private vendors to market the program,” Gamez said. “We have never seen anything like that before."

Democratic Representative Armando Martinez said he believes the bill will negatively impact public education.

“Through that bill, it is defunding public schools and allowing people that already have the financial stability to send their children to private schools,” Martinez said.

Channel Five News received a statement from Democratic Representative Bobby Guerra. In the statement, Guerra said HB 3 a tool “that drain millions of taxpayer dollars from public schools and do a disservice to public school students."

Watch the video above for the full story.