AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas will implement a $1 billion school voucher program, one of the largest in the country, that uses public dollars to fund private school tuition under a bill Gov. Greg Abbott signed Saturday, capping off a yearslong effort by Republicans.

More than 5 million students will be eligible to use state funds for private schools, a watershed moment in the conservative campaign to remake public education in America.

Families in Texas are now among a growing number of states who can use public funds to pay for a nonpublic education, including private schools and homeschooling. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on May 3 signed a school choice bill into law,