In a speech with something for everybody, Gov. Greg Abbott celebrated Texas’ economic strength and set an agenda focused on keeping the state a national leader by continuing its business-friendly policies, cutting down on property taxes for homeowners and passing a school voucher-like program in his sixth State of the State address on Sunday evening.
Abbott began his speech by promising to keep state spending below constitutional limits and cut taxes.
He praised the Legislature’s past work on cutting property taxes, including last session’s use of $13.3 billion of a historic budget surplus to give homeowners some property tax relief. But the governor said local taxing authorities, like Harris County, had used loopholes to cut into those tax cuts.
He asked for at least $10 billion in “new property tax relief” but said that funding would only work if the Legislature banned the tactics used by taxing entities like Harris County, which increased taxes by more than 10% last year. He said those entities should be required to get the approval of two-thirds of voters to increase taxes.
“No approval, no new taxes,” he said.
Abbott also plans to work with lawmakers to make sure all local bond and tax rate elections are moved to November races, which usually have higher voter turnout.
The governor said housing in the state must be made more affordable. He proposed slashing regulations and speeding up permitting to make it easier to build homes in the state. And he got behind a one-year tax exemption on home improvements, like heating and air conditioning.
Abbott said the state “must be No. 1 in educating our children.”
As expected, Abbott prioritized legislation that would allow parents to take public dollars from the state and use them toward their child’s private education – a long-brewing issue that has gained new momentum in Republican-leaning states, including Texas. The governor spent much of last year’s primary election targeting fellow Republicans who had opposed the issue last session and successfully replaced enough of them to make him confident that the legislation will pass both chambers this year.
“Tonight, I am declaring school choice an emergency item that must pass this session,” he said.
Abbott said the state can continue to fully fund public schools and give teachers pay raises “while also giving parents the choice they deserve.”
Abbott said more than 30 states already have school choice and he pointed to a smaller version of the voucher-like program for special education students that he created in 2020 and was expanded by the Legislature in 2021.
I’m declaring school choice an Emergency Item that MUST be passed this session.
More than 30 states already have a form of school choice—and the majority of Texans support school choice.#TXSOTS25 #txlege pic.twitter.com/HCQsh80eLN
— Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) February 2, 2025
Opponents say his proposal is school vouchers under a different name and would divert state funds away from already struggling public schools with little oversight over how those funds would be used privately.
The issue is expected to be one of the major battles between legislators this session.
Education played a large role in Abbott’s agenda Sunday night, with the governor also declaring teacher pay raises and expanding career training emergency items.
Abbott said teachers are a key pillar in ensuring that Texas students receive a top education.
“We must fund and train the best teachers,” he said. “That starts with giving our teachers a pay raise this session.”
He said those top teachers must be rewarded by putting them on a path to earn a six-figure salary. He called for a program that puts teachers on that path to be expanded to every school district in the state.
Teacher unions say the state currently trails $9,000 behind the national average and pay is one of the main reasons harming teacher retention.
Lawmakers seem keen on helping Abbott provide that extra pay, with Senate leaders earmarking funds in their budget proposal to give public school teachers a $4,000 pay raise with an additional $6,000 raise for teachers in rural areas.
Abbott also said the state should invest $500 million in school safety measures.
The governor also called for lawmakers to focus on career training after high school for jobs like welding, plumbing and electrical work. Making the issue an emergency item, he highlighted a 18-year-old Jarrell High School graduate, Raya Rabold, who is training to become a welding inspector at Texas State Technical College, a job that could fetch her an $85,000 yearly salary.
“Careers like this are part of the better job and bigger paycheck opportunities that we provide in Texas,” he said.
Career training is life-changing.
We want EVERY student in Texas to choose the path that’s best for them.
That’s why I’m making career training an Emergency Item this session. pic.twitter.com/l70LnWuI8v
— Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) February 2, 2025
On top of his emergency items on education, Abbott set a target on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. He said schools should focus on fundamentals like reading, writing, math, science and the country’s founding document instead of pushing “woke agendas.”
“Schools are for education, not indoctrination,” he said. “Last session we banned DEI in universities. This session we must ban DEI in grades K-12.”
He also called for an expansion of a ban on DEI programs in public institutions of higher education in the state.
“We must purge it from every corner of our schools and return the focus to merit,” he said.
Alluding to an executive order he issued last week banning these programs in state agencies, he said he wanted to ban them in any entity that receives taxpayer dollars. It’s unclear however what specific changes the governor’s executive orders last week would make. His office has not responded to questions from news outlets.
Throwing another nod to conservative culture wars, Abbott said there should be “no boys in girls’ sports” and that the state of Texas recognizes only two genders – male and female.
“Any educator who tells students that boys can be girls should be fired on the spot,” he said.
By James Barragán, The Texas Tribune. The contents of this article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/02/greg-abbott-state-of-state-speech-agenda/.