Aside from the legal questions, the donation raises concerns in a state that increasingly blurs the line between church and state, said University of Houston political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus. He pointed to examples including a new law that allows schools to hire unlicensed chaplains to work in mental health roles, Abbott’s hard push for a school voucher-like program that would allow taxpayer funding to support private and religious education, and the State Board of Education’s consideration of a measure that would require schools to teach the Bible.