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AUSTIN – Gov. Greg Abbott named seven priorities in his State of the State address on Thursday that he wants the GOP-led Legislature to fast track.
Unlike other bills, these items can now be voted off the floor ahead of the normal mid-March deadline.
Related:Texas Gov. Abbott sets priorities in State of the State speech, including fentanyl crisis
Property tax relief
Abbott is calling on the Legislature to spend $15 billion on property tax relief, a proposal that is already written in the House and Senate budget blueprints.
COVID mandates
Abbott urged the Legislature to “end COVID restrictions forever,” by banning government-issued shutdown orders, vaccine mandates and mask requirements related to the coronavirus.
He faced backlash from conservatives after making use of some of those strategies early in the pandemic.
“Education freedom”
Abbott said all Texas students should have access to education savings accounts. The voucher-like initiative typically gives families public dollars to spend on private school or other educational expenses.
Abbott gave no specifics about how he wants the program to work, how much students could receive or what accountability measures would be in place.
School safety
Without mentioning last May’s gun massacre at a Uvalde elementary school, Abbott called for compliance with school safety standards, plus more mental health professionals in schools.
Bail policy
Singling out Harris County, Abbott complained of “activist judges” who he said are too lenient with certain criminal defendants, which he said endangers the public. Lawmakers should add to restrictions on judges’ discretion that were passed last session, he said.
Border security
Denouncing President Joe Biden’s “open border policies,” Abbott called for imposing a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for smuggling of undocumented immigrants. He endorsed another increase in state spending – to $4.6 billion for his Operation Lone Star over the next two years, from about $4 billion in the current cycle.
Fentanyl deaths
Amid a rash of fentanyl deaths, Abbott wants them to be classified as poisonings and prosecuted as murders. He also urged lawmakers to make the overdose-reversing drug Narcan more available.