AUSTIN, Texas — In an energetic State of the State address Sunday night, Gov. Greg Abbott started off his speech touting Texas’ economy, praising its economic development and calling it the “number one best state to start a business.”
“Clearly, God has blessed Texas and the state of our state has never been better,” Abbott said. “But we know that more must be done to ensure that prosperity reaches every Texas family and every Texas business.”
The governor expressed desire for $10 billion more in property tax cuts for Texans, saying that no taxing entity should be able to raise property taxes without the approval of two-thirds of voters. He went on to say that property tax relief would be an emergency item that must be passed this session.
Abbott also expressed concern over the future of water in Texas, mentioning that some of the state’s water supplies are drying up.
“Agricultural producers in the Rio Grande Valley and out in West Texas, they don’t have water to be able to grow their crops,” Abbott said. “Last session, we invested $1 billion in water projects and infrastructure. This session, we need to ‘Texas-size’ that investment.”
The governor said that investing in water infrastructure will also be an emergency item this legislative session, promising to work with the Texas Legislature on dedicating $1 billion each year for 10 years to tap into new water supplies and repair existing pipes to save billions of gallons of water each year. He also said he wants to invest in new water supply strategies and invest in current programs that ensure rural areas have the resources to maintain their water supplies.
As has been the case for a number of years now, school choice is one issue that has been drawing a lot of attention. On Sunday, the governor officially announced that it would be an emergency item this legislative session.
“Schools must work for teachers, for parents, not the other way around,” Abbott said. “Schools must respond to parents’ concerns and parents should be empowered to choose the school that’s best for their child.”
In the emergency item his office sent KVUE, Abbott said he wants to establish an education savings account (ESA) program with universal eligibility for all Texas schoolchildren, and appropriate $1 billion for the program to parents. He also promised to increase funding for open-enrollment charter school facilities.
“Government mandated schools simply cannot meet the needs of every student. But Texas can provide families with the choices to better meet those needs,” Abbott said. “The majority of Texans support school choice. More than 30 states already have a form of school choice.”
The governor also said he will make addressing teacher pay an emergency item, and plans to expand a merit pay program and use other compensation strategies.
“We’re going to continue to fully fund our schools as well as provide teachers with a pay raise,” Abbott said.
In response to the address, Democratic lawmakers representing Travis County responded, saying that they did not hear enough about addressing public education. Democratic State Reps. Donna Howard (Austin) and Gene Wu (Houston) said the state is spending less on our schools.
“He’s now coming back and say, ‘Well, if we take more money out of the system and give it to other people, it’ll make things better. And we’re like – how?,'” Wu said. “The school system in Texas is already one of the worst funded in the entire nation, 44th in the nation. And we’re going to take people’s hard earned money and give it to rich people who didn’t ask for it and don’t need it? How do you justify that?”
Howard also said she did not hear enough from the governor on how he will support public education in Texas.
Other emergency items Abbott announced were related to bail reform and creating the Texas Cyber Command, which would be headquartered in San Antonio to fight off potential cyber threats.
KVUE reached out to the Travis County Republican Party for a comment on the governor’s address. Chairman Matt Mackowiak referred us to a statement he made on X:
“Tonight, @GovAbbott gave a tour de force State of the State address that sets the bar for all future occasions. Governor Abbott made clear what his priorities are for the upcoming session, what he demands and why these priorities are needed. Governor Abbott exhibited strength, determination, and moral clarity. School choice is going to happen. We will cut property taxes, improve our water infrastructure, and reform our broken bail system, among other important issues. The future of Texas is VERY bright!”