State of the State Address – Gov. Abbott
Tuesday, February 17, Gov. Abbott delivered his State of the State Address to a joint session of the House and Senate.
Gov. Abbott announced five emergency items, which means these issues can be taken up within the first 60 days of the Session:
- Early (pre-K) education,
- Higher education research initiatives,
- Transportation funding,
- Border security funding, and
- Ethics reform.
The governor also called for a $2 billion reduction in the business franchise tax and a $2.2 billion reduction in property taxes. He charged state agencies to reduce their budgets by at least 3 percent. Gov. Abbott focused a portion of his speech on the importance of liberty in Texas, and said he will expand liberty by, “signing a law that makes Texas the 45th state to allow Open Carry.”
Gov. Abbott concluded his policy and emergency items by addressing ethics reform to bring greater transparency to Texas.
You can read a transcript of the governor’s speech and see his budget proposal online as well.