SCHOOL CHOICE, WATER, TEACHER PAY RAISES MAKE GOVERNOR’S EMERGENCY LIST
(AUSTIN) — Speaking from Austin’s Arnold Oil Company headquarters Sunday evening, Governor Greg Abbott touted the state’s business-friendly climate as a model for the rest of the country during his biannual State of the State address. “Texas is the most powerful economy in America… Texas is number one for the most new jobs, Texas has been number one for economic development for more than a decade. Texas is the number one best state to start a business,” he said. “Texas is the blueprint for the future of America.” In his address, Abbott also declared seven “emergency” items, permitting immediate legislative action on these issues. The state constitution prohibits passage of bills in the first 60 days of a regular session, unless tagged as an emergency by the governor.
First on Abbott’s list is property tax relief. Following more than $22 billion in property tax cuts approved in 2023, Abbott says that too many local jurisdictions negated those savings by exploiting loopholes to raise rates. “Last session, we slashed your property taxes,” he said. “But for many Texans, those cuts were wiped out by local taxing authorities that hiked your property taxes even more. That must end this session.” Abbott called for spending at least $10 billion of the state’s $23.8 billion surplus on additional property tax relief. He also wants to raise the threshold for voter-approved tax hikes from a simple majority to a two-thirds supermajority.
Water infrastructure is also an emergency item this session, and Abbott says the legislature will ensure 50 years of water security for Texas this year. “We will make the largest investment in water in the history of Texas. We will tap into new water supplies and repair pipes to save billions of gallons of water each year,” he said. His plan calls for an investment of $1 billion each year for the next 10 years to find new sources of water and to repair leaky pipes. Abbott also wants to see legislation that creates a stable revenue stream for water infrastructure and continued investment in rural water supply.
For public schools, Abbott wants legislation that pays teachers more and a robust school choice program implemented this session, and named both issues as emergencies. The Senate budget includes nearly $5 billion in funds set aside for a $4,000 across-the-board raise for teachers, with teachers serving rural districts eligible for an additional $6,000, in addition to funds to bolster the state’s teacher merit pay program.
School choice legislation is already moving in the Senate, with the Education K-16 Committee approving a plan last week to spend $1 billion in state money to create 100,000 education savings accounts that parents can use to pay for education-related expenses. By designating the issue as an emergency, Abbott has opened the door for immediate action for consideration and passage of the bill by the full Senate, as early as this week. The governor also wants to increase workforce training for high school graduates, naming career technology training as an emergency item.
Abbott also named two public safety issues as emergencies, first calling for legislation to reform bail practices in Texas, including denial of bail to violent offenders. Such legislation passed the Senate in the 2023 regular session, but couldn’t get through the House. He also wants to create a cyber-crime center in San Antonio to protect against growing on-line threats. “San Antonio is the home to one of the world’s largest concentrations of cybersecurity experts. We must harness those assets to protect against threats from China, Iran, Russia, and other foreign enemies,” he said.
Designating emergency items gives legislation a head start and the force of the governor’s influence, but it doesn’t guarantee that Abbott will end the session with a bill on his desk. In 2023, Abbott also named school choice as an emergency item, and ended up calling four special sessions on it, but the issue still couldn’t find the necessary support in the House.
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