Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick were sworn in at an inauguration ceremony in front of the Capitol building on January 17, 2023. Below are highlights from their inauguration speeches.
This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight the various topics taken up. It is not a verbatim transcript of the discussions but is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer and the desire to get details out as quickly as possible with few errors or omissions.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick
- Brandon Creighton to Chair Senate Education
- Will increase homestead exemption to $70k
- Will pass property tax relief this session
- Increasing business property tax exemption to $100k, up from $25k
- Gov. and Lt. Gov. are “all in” on school choice, will not harm rural schools as the economics don’t make sense for private schools outside of most populous districts
- Will give teachers another raise
- School choice will pass this session
- Will address CRT in public colleges & tenured professors
- Listened to sheriffs and judges, low salaries for LEOs in rural counties; will help rural counties
- Robust plan to build more mental health care hospitals, only 2.5k beds; plan in Senate to give a scholarship for RNs similar to the existing one for doctors
- Strengthen the grid, renewables are fine, but need more thermal, hydroelectric & other dispatchable energy; will increase thermal power this session
- Not in a battle between Republicans and Demcorats in the Senate, mostly achieve consensus; Texas leads on US policy
Gov. Greg Abbott (Full Text)
- TX’s $2 trillion economy is the 9th largest in the world, TX leads the US in production of goods; consistently rank #1 in economic development and job growth
- Now have largest budget surplus in state history, will use surplus to provide largest property tax cut in state history
- Americans from other states are coming to TX to avoid high taxes, red-tape, burdensome regulations
- Signed 14 bipartisan laws last session that fixed flaws in the power grid, have weathered high demand and freezing temperatures
- This session, will build grid that powers the state for the next 40 years
- Highlights per-student funding for public schools at an all-time high, one of the highest graduation rates, #1 for National Blue Ribbon Schools, #1 for Tier 1 research universities
- Schools are for education, not indoctrination, need to reform curriculum
- Parents deserve freedom to choose the education that is best for their child
- Need to prioritize protecting students & staff, must provide mental health services for those that need it; will not end session without making schools safer
- Passed laws to defund cities that defund police
- Must end easy bail policies that let criminal back out, must impose mandatory sentences on criminals caught with guns, mandatory sentences for anyone caught smuggling illegal immigrants
- Border situation is due to Biden administration not enforcing laws, more illegal immigrants crossed our border last year than ever before
- TX is building border wall, deploying Texas National Guard soldiers and DPS troopers, targeting cartel smugglers and traffickers
- Those who have lost people to fentanyl deserve action & will get that action this session