On July 25th Governor Greg Abbott, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, and House Speaker Dade Phelan sent letters to state agencies and higher education detailing their priorities for the next legislative session as agencies and higher education institutions develop their Legislative Appropriations Requests (LAR) for the 2026-2027 biennium. Although there is traditionally one letter sent from the leadership offices, this time there were two separate letters.
Abbott and Patrick stated LARs should take into consideration that priorities for the next appropriations act will include property tax relief, additional funding to support construction and modernization of dispatchable electric generating facilities, operational funding for certain mental health facilities, and funding for the Educational Savings Accounts and securing the border.
Phelan in his letter said he was “confident the next budget will prioritize critical items such as additional property tax relief and border security, it will ultimately be up to all members of the legislature to determine the spending priorities of the next session.”