Thursday night, Governor Greg Abbott gave his State of the State address and announced seven “emergency items.” This designation means lawmakers can take up these issues within the first 60 days of the session. Those items are:
1. Cutting Property Taxes: “We have all proposed using $15 billion to cut property taxes. Now we must ensure that it provides lasting property tax relief. To get that done, cutting property taxes will be an emergency item this session.”
2. Ending COVID Restrictions: “We must prohibit any government from imposing COVID mask mandates, COVID vaccine mandates, and from closing any business or school because of COVID. Also, we must change how government responds to future pandemics, including requiring the legislature to convene if another pandemic is ever declared.”
3. School Choice: “Parents also deserve education freedom. Without it, some parents are hindered in helping their child succeed. That must change this year. The way to do that is with school choice through state-funded Education Savings Accounts.”
4. School Safety: “We must establish the safest standards, and then use the newly created Chief of School Safety to mandate compliance with those standards, and we must provide more mental health professionals in our schools.”
5. Revolving Bail: “We must shut and lock that revolving door by passing laws that keep dangerous criminals behind bars and hold accountable the judges who let them out.”
6. Border Security: “We must impose a mandatory minimum jail sentence of at least 10 years for anyone caught smuggling illegal immigrants in Texas.”
7. Fentanyl Crisis: “We must call fentanyl deaths what they are — poisonings — and prosecute them as murders. We must also increase the supply of lifesaving NARCAN, so we can save more Texans who are ambushed by fentanyl.”
In addition to the above “emergency items,” the Governor referenced several business-related issues:
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Business Climate: “Texas is number one in the United States for new jobs. In fact, since I became Governor, Texas has added more than 1.9 million new jobs. We’re also number one for economic development, number one for exports, and number one for Fortune 500 headquarters. Our $2 trillion economy makes Texas the ninth-largest economy in the world.”
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Economic Development: “To keep Texas the best state for business, our local communities need new economic development tools this session.”
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Specialized Business Courts: “Local businesses will flourish even more if we reduce the gridlock in our courts by creating specialized courts with the expertise to deal with complex commercial litigation.” (a TLR priority)
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Workforce: “One thing that the Texas of tomorrow needs is a highly skilled workforce. Our goal is to ensure that every Texan is prepared to succeed in high-demand industries like, technology, healthcare, and energy. That’s why this session we will reward community colleges that produce skilled, employable Texans.”
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Infrastructure: “Our booming economy and growing population means we must bolster our infrastructure. … “We will soon announce a $100 billion plan to build transportation infrastructure in Texas. We will build a grid strong enough to power Texas for the next century.”
The Governor also made some comments that will fuel speculation as to a possible Presidential run:
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China: “The future of Texas and the United States should not depend on China.”
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President Biden: “Texans are furious about the lawlessness caused by Biden’s open border policies, and they should be. During the prior administration, we had the lowest illegal crossings in decades, but this past year, the United States set a record for the most illegal crossings ever. Let's also thank our Texas sheriffs, who are on the frontline battling Biden's border crisis.”
