Gov. Greg Abbott gave his first State of the State address at 11 a.m. today from the Capitol. The Texas governor discussed several agenda items including education, road improvements and border security, among others.
KERA's BJ Austin reported about the address on All Things Considered at noon Tuesday.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says the state of Texas is strong and getting stronger.
In his first state State of the State address, Abbott laid out a number of top priorities, and education was No. 1. The new governor wants expanded pre-kindergarten, stronger community colleges and approximately $500 million to boost research and recruitment of top minds at Texas universities.
Abbott wants more money for road improvements as well.
He also announced that the National Guard will remain along the border until his new security plan is in place. It calls for hiring and training 500 new Department of Public Safety troopers to help secure the Texas border.
Ethics reform is another issue the governor wants fast-tracked by the Legislature.
Abbott also called for tax cuts: $2 billion in the state’s franchise tax and $2.2 billion in property tax relief for Texans.
The governor submitted his proposed budget this morning before his address. In it, he called on state departments to cut budgets by 3 percent. Abbott says he’s cutting the governor’s office budget by more than 10 percent.
And Abbott told a joint session of the Legislature he looks forward to signing a bill that will make Texas the 45th state to allow open carry of guns.
Catch up on the latest news involving Gov. Abbott, like Monday night's victory against the Obama administration. A federal judge halted the president's immigration executive action based on a lawsuit Abbott filed in December 2014 as governor-elect.
Watch the Feb. 17 address:
Abbott Delivers State of the State Address
This live stream was provided by The Texas Tribune.
