GREG ABBOTT ON THE ISSUES
LOWER TAXES AND BETTER AFFORDABILITY FOR A MORE PROSPEROUS TEXAS
Under Governor Abbott's leadership, Texas:
- Spurred job growth by permanently cutting the business franchise tax by 25%
- Provided the largest property tax cut in Texas history in 2023 by providing $18 billion to:
- Drive down school district property tax rates
- Increase homestead exemptions for Texas homeowners
- Increase Franchise Tax exemptions
- Increase Appraisal caps for small businesses
- Provided relief from rising local property taxes in 2019 by:
- Capping annual increases
- Requiring voter approval for higher tax rates
- Boosting transparency through online posting of tax data
- Strengthened Texans’ rights in the appraisal process by banning surprise increases, enhancing training for review boards, and ensuring taxpayers receive evidence used in appraisal hearings at no cost
- Banned all state income taxes
- Passed a “circuit breaker” cap to provide relief to non-homestead properties, a 20% taxable value cap on all property with a value of $5 million on less
This past legislative session, Governor Abbott:
- Invested more than $50 billion to reduce property taxes, an increase of over $10 billion from the last budget – using 25% of the state’s revenue to reduce property taxes
- Increased the school district homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000
- Increased the school district homestead exemption even more for elderly and disabled – from $110,000 to $200,000 – eliminating school district property taxes for majority of these Texan
- Provided property tax exemptions for Texans whose homes have been destroyed by fires
- Increased the business personal property tax exemption from $2,500 to $125,000, lowering taxes on the equipment and tools Texans use to make a living
- Banned a tax on capital gains, allowing Texans to keep more of their hard-earned money
- Helped protect the future of Texas farmers by exempting animal feed inventory from property taxes
- Protected Texans’ investments such as retirement accounts and pensions, as well as the future of Texas’ stock exchanges, by banning transaction taxes
- Banned inheritance taxes so Texans can pass on what they’ve earned to their families
UNLEASHING THE TEXAS ECONOMY
Under Governor Abbott's leadership, Texas:
- The Texas economy grew to $2.7 trillion, making it the eighth-largest economy in the world
- Texas has added 2.5 million jobs
- More than 15 million Texans have jobs – more than ever before in the history of our state
- Texas is a leading state for small business job growth
- Texas has more than 3.5 million registered businesses – more than double the number than when Governor Abbott was first elected
- Texas is home to 1 in 5 of the nation’s Hispanic business owners and more than 1.4 million women business owners
- Texas has been named by the nation’s CEOs as the Best State for Business for 21 years in a row
- Texas is home to the most corporate relocation and expansion projects, winning the Governor’s Cup 13 years in a row
- Texas has attracted 314 new corporate headquarters and is home to 54 Fortune 500 headquarters
- Created the Small Business Freedom Council to improve government efficiency for Texas businesses and directed Texas state agencies to cut unnecessary government regulations
This past legislative session, Governor Abbott:
- Texas cemented itself as the Best State for Business, signing business-friendly legislation
- Raised the business personal property tax exemption from $2,500 to $125,000
- Made state government more efficient and less intrusive by establishing the Texas “DOGE,” or Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office
- Prohibited municipalities from inflicting unnecessary regulations on home-based small businesses
- Provided historic funding to support career workforce training and programs for Texans pursuing opportunities offered by Texas State Technical Colleges
SECURING THE BORDER, DEFENDING TEXAS
Under Governor Abbott's leadership, Texas:
- Governor Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021 to tackle the unprecedented border crisis created by the Biden Administration’s reckless open border policies
- Texas spent over $11.1 billion to secure the border, deny illegal entry, seize deadly drugs like fentanyl, and keep Texans safe
- Thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers were deployed to the southern border
- Texas became the first state in U.S. history to build its own border wall
- Installed barriers, including more than 100 miles of razor wire and buoys were installed to stop illegal entry
- Designated violent Mexican drug cartels and Tren de Aragua as foreign terrorist organizations
- Texas bussed more than 100,000 migrants to “sanctuary cities” like Washington D.C. and New York City to relieve overwhelmed border communities
- Banned sanctuary cities in Texas, requiring local governments and law enforcement officials to comply with federal immigration laws
- Signed historic legislation making allowing state and local enforcement to arrest those that illegally cross the border from Mexico to Texas
- Protected law enforcement by prohibiting cities from Defunding the Police
- Law enforcement seized more than enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman, and child in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada combined
- Operation Lone Star reduced illegal crossings into Texas by 85% during the Biden Administration
This past year, Governor Abbott:
- Ordered state agencies to assist the federal government in arresting, jailing, and deporting of illegal immigrants
- Mandated that every Texas county must fully cooperate with ICE
- Invested an additional $3.35 billion from this past legislative session in border security funding for the next two years
- Put Texas on track to receive over $11 billion in reimbursement from the federal government for border wall construction and operations
- Continued to deploy specialized units that remain in operation along the Texas border, including DPS Tactical Marine Unit, DPS Brush Teams, TMD Tactical Border Force, and TMD Quick Reaction Forces
PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITIES
As Governor, Greg Abbott:
- Passed a law to prohibit cities from defunding the police
- Expanded Texas Anti-Gang (TAG) centers across the state. These ten centers combat gang violence through partnerships between state, local, and federal law enforcement
- Created the Domestic Terrorism Task Force to help prevent mass shootings and domestic terrorist attacks by enhancing reporting requirements and ensuring law enforcement and the public have the training, tools, and resources they need to provide and respond to reports of suspicious activity
- Signed the Damon Allen Act into law, which prohibited the release of people charged with violent crimes on a personal or cash bond, required defendants be granted or denied bail within 48 hours of their arrest
- Created the Child Sex Trafficking Team in 2015, which has led a comprehensive, statewide strategy to prevent human trafficking, support survivors, and hold offenders accountable
- Increased penalties for traffickers and buyers, enhanced online enforcement tools, required training in hotels and driver education courses, and prohibited minors from working in sexually oriented businesses
- Established a clemency process for survivors, directing forfeited criminal proceeds to victim services, launched a grant program for victims, and provided funding to non-profits and public entities combating trafficking
- Signed historic legislation requiring all rape kits be tested quickly, providing new avenues for sexual assault survivors to seek justice
- Created the Chief of School Safety at the Texas Education Agency to safeguard schools, including dedicating over $400 million to assist school districts in securing doors, windows, fencing, improving communications, and other safety measures
- Launched the School Safety Action Plan, strengthening emergency preparedness, expanding mental health resources and training in schools, and prioritizing student well-being
This past year, Governor Abbott:
- Passed the strongest bail reform package in state history, allowing judges to deny bail for violent crimes such as murder and rape, keeping dangerous criminals off the streets and innocent Texans safe
- Prohibited the use of public funds by nonprofits to bail criminals out of jail
- Ensured only elected judges can reduce or change bail conditions, barring unaccountable magistrates from setting bail in the most serious and high-risk cases
- Reformed the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to more effectively hold judges and justices accountable for judicial misconduct
- Prohibited parole for human traffickers who harm children and people with disabilities
- Created a grant program to equip peace officers’ motor vehicles with bullet-resistant windshields, windows, and door panels
- Raised the penalty for failure to report child abuse from a misdemeanor to a third-degree felony
- Established the Homeland Security Division and a Hostile Foreign Adversaries unit at the Department of Public Safety
- Established the Texas Cyber Command, the largest state cyber department in the U.S., a historic $135 million investment, to protect Texas critical infrastructure from cyber attacks
- Ordered state agencies to fully divest from China and prohibited any future investments in China
- Prohibited the sale of Texas land to hostile foreign adversaries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, as well as foreign terrorist organizations like Tren de Aragua
- Banned sister city agreements between governmental entities and foreign adversaries, while promoting agreements with allies of the United States
- Created a new criminal offense for transnational repression and a training program for law enforcement
- Signed legislation to help prevent title and deed fraud and created new criminal offenses for real property theft
RESTORING EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION
As Governor, Greg Abbott has:
- Increased public school funding from $54 billion to $93 billion—a 70% increase
- Ensured educators who are convicted of sexual related crimes with a student lose their teaching certification or license and their taxpayer pension, and punished administrators, superintendents, and principals who ignore misconduct
- Funded full-day prekindergarten for low-income students as part of the 2019 school finance reform bill and reformed the public-school finance system, including teacher pay raises and property tax cuts
- Overseen the elevation of 16 Texas universities to “Tier One Universities” for their research activity—the most in the nation
- Signed legislation to create Bluebonnet Learning, a first of its kind state curriculum that provides high-quality, grade level appropriate materials that ensure Texas is #1 for educating our children
- Created training academies for teachers to improve reading and math outcomes for kindergarten through 5th grade students
- Invested $130 million over two years for school districts whose pre-kindergarten programs meet high-quality standards
This past legislative session, Governor Abbott:
- Created the first universal school choice program in Texas, investing $1 billion for “Education Freedom Accounts” — making Texas the largest day-one program in U.S. history
- Invested a record $8.5 billion in new funding for public education
- Provided over $4 billion for increasing teacher and support staff salaries
- Expanded the state’s merit pay program to put teachers on the path to earn $100,000 or more
- Increased funding for special education, doubling the amount school districts receive for special education students
- Provided an additional $430 million investment for school safety and security
- Repealed the STAAR Test, and created a new system that provides parents and educators with student performance metrics throughout the year
- Banned teaching gender identity and sexual orientation and require parental consent for sex education in K-12 schools
- Added the Parent’s Bill of Rights to the Texas Constitution, solidifying that parents are in charge of their child’s education
- Delivered an additional $153 million to expand successful career and technical education programs that provide hands-on training so students have access to good paying jobs immediately after graduationBanned explicit materials from classrooms and libraries
- Increased parental rights by requiring parental consent for children to download apps
- Restored discipline in the classroom, giving teachers the authority to remove disruptive students from their classrooms and ensuring parent’s complaints and inappropriate employee conduct in schools are rapidly addressed
- Prohibited the use of cell phones and other communication devices during the school day to help students focus in the classroom
- Signed legislation to have the 10 Commandments displayed in all public schools
- Ensured that public school teachers can express their religious faith by allowing time for prayer and reading of the Bible
- Promoting healthier living for all Texans by embedding nutrition education in K-12 schools, higher education, and the healthcare workforce
HIGHER EDUCATION
Governor Greg Abbott has:
- Led Texas to be #1 in the nation for the most Tier One Research Universities
- Prohibited public universities from raising undergraduate tuition and fees for the next two academic years, making college more affordable
- Established “Free College Application Week” in the second week of October to cut costs for college students and their families
- Expanded Direct Admissions to streamline the college application process for Texas students, and required public and charter schools to inform students about Direct Admissions
- Signed a law to ban boys in girls sports
- Banned DEI in higher education institutions
- Created an Office at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to investigate complaints regarding DEI, curriculum, governance, and hiring at institutions of higher education
- Expanded the University Board of Regents authority over hiring and curriculum decisions, ensuring professors are not delegated final decision-making authority on any matter
- Provided $850 million to support career workforce training and programs offered by the Texas State Technical College System
HEALTHIER TEXANS
As Governor, Greg Abbott has:
- Passed the Make Texas Healthy Again Act
- Promoting healthier living for all Texans by embedding nutrition education in K-12 schools, higher education, and the healthcare workforce
- Requiring stronger food label transparency to protect consumer
- Prohibited schools from serving foods with certain additives as part of the free or reduced lunch program
- Banned the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit funds to purchase sweetened drinks and candy
- Signed the Rural Health Stabilization and Innovation Act to provide strategic planning, technical assistance and funding to ensure sustainability of rural health and clinics
- Created the Rural Ambulance Service Grant Program to help ambulance providers reduce response times, improve fleet reliability, and strengthen trauma and critical care access
- Created the Rural Hospital Maternal Care Operation Grant program to provide funding to rural hospitals for emergency labor and delivery services
- Provided $34 million for a new behavioral health campus delivering on-site care for children and adults experiencing mental health crisis in Uvalde and 32 other surrounding counties.
- Provided $239 Million for construction grants for mental health care in rural Texas and supporting up to 332 beds for mental health patients in hospitals
- Prioritized raises for caregivers of our senior and disabled Texans
- Authorized Ivermectin to be dispensed by a pharmacist without a prescription, increasing access for Texans to the benefits of this treatment
- Signed the Texas No Suprises Billing Act and mandated that hospitals provide patients with itemized receipts, improving healthcare transparency
- Established the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT) to study dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and other brain related conditions and support development of treatment and cures
INFRASTRUCTURE
State Response and Recovery
• Passed the Youth CAMPER Act (Youth Camp Alert, Preparedness, and Emergency Response), which requires youth camps to adopt and annually update emergency plans, train staff, orient campers, notify parents of floodplain risks, and share plans with local emergency responders
• Passed the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act, which:
o Prohibits licensure of certain youth camps with cabins in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-designated floodplains
o Requires annual emergency training and planning
o Creates an online registry of licensed youth camps
o Extends safety standards to campgrounds and recreational vehicle parks
• Provided $50 Million for cities, counties, and other entities to install early-warning sirens in areas prone to flash flooding
• Increased the criminal penalty for fraudulent charitable solicitations and theft during a declared disaster and established a program to designate legitimate disaster relief nonprofit organizations and financial institutions
• Passed the Rural Infrastructure Disaster Recovery Program, which provides funding to rural communities located in disaster areas for the purpose of rebuilding and repairing damaged critical infrastructure
• Dedicated 10% of rural volunteer fire department funding to departments in high-risk areas for large wildfires
• Directed the Texas Department of Emergency Management to develop and fund critical infrastructure emergency response maps
Water
• Dedicated $20 billion over the next ten years to Texas’ water infrastructure to ensure the future of Texans water supply
• Passed the largest generational water investment in Texas history will fund projects such as fixing old and leaky pipes, reservoirs, desalination projects, aquifer storage and recovery projects, water treatment projects, flood mitigation and more.
• Created the Texas Water Fund in 2023 to assist in financing water projects in Texas – an initial $1 billion investment
Energy
- Leads the nation in energy production, producing 25% of the country’s domestically produced energy – generating more electricity than the next two states combined
- Texas is #1 for wind, utility scale installed solar, and battery storage
- Signed the largest investment for dispatchable energy in Texas history, $10 Billion for Texas Energy Fund
- Recently made a $1.1 billion investment for the development of a 1,300 MW facility which can power over 337,000 homes
- Established the Texas Energy Reliability Council to improve communication between industry, state agencies, and the public
- Created the Texas Electric Supply Chain Security and Mapping Committee to map the state’s electric supply chain
- Implemented a statewide power outage alert system to inform the public regarding extended power outages
- Created the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office to lead America’s nuclear renaissance
- Established a nuclear energy workforce development program to promote nuclear workforce education
- Created a petroleum products theft task force and an organized oilfield theft prevention unit within the Department of Public Safety to protect oilfield assets, support the energy industry, safeguard economic stability, and enhance public safety in the Permian Basin
- Since 2021, power on the grid has increased by more than 35%. More than 44,000 megawatts of additional power has been added to our grid, enough to power millions of new homes in Texas.
Transportation
• Announced a record $148 billion investment in Texas’s transportation infrastructure to improve safety, address congestion and connectivity, and preserve roadways for Texas drivers
o Texas Clear Lanes congestion-relief projects will see an increase in funding of $1.9 billion, supporting the $75.8 billion total investment for completed, under-construction, and planned non-tolled projects since 2015. It also includes around a $17.3 billion investment in safety and an additional $1.7 billion in funding for rural corridors and key roadways in economic hubs
• Provided $106 million to complete eight airport projects that will improve aviation infrastructure and boost economic growth in local communities
• Dedicated $250 million towards rail-road grade separation projects, located at intersections of railroads and public pedestrian crossings, to increase public safety and reduce traffic
• Exempted counties from motor fuels taxes for essential public service vehicles used for road maintenance and emergency response
- Signed a Constitutional Amendment in 2015 to increase funding for public roadways by allocating a portion of the sales and use tax and the motor vehicle sales and rental taxes into the State Highway Fund (SHF). As of November 2025, a total of $19.5 billion in Proposition 7 deposits have been made into the SHF.
• Provided historic, first-time funding of $600 million through the Port Access Account Fund and the Ship Channel Improvement Revolving Fund (SCIRF) to develop port infrastructure projects, like deepening and widening ship channels.
• Since 2015, Texas has invested $820 million in seaports to bolster the state’s thriving economy, provide a more robust supply chain, and maintain its global competitiveness.
SUPPORTING OUR VETERANS
Under Governor Abbott's Leadership:
- Over 1.5 million veterans choose to make Texas their home
- Required agencies to issue occupational licenses to military service members, veterans, and their spouses who were licensed in another state quickly, to make their move to Texas easier
- Helped veterans succeed by exempting new veteran owned business from paying franchise tax for the initial five years
- Issued a record breaking $46 million in grant funding to veterans organizations across the state for services such as clinical counseling, employment support, financial assistance, housing, and legal services
- Authorized a drug development trial to study ibogaine, furthering research to help veterans and individuals suffering from opioid use disorder, depression, and PTSD
- Directed the Texas Veterans Commission to establish a database to connect service members leaving active duty with veteran organizations and to provide veterans with support resources
- Signed a Constitutional Amendment to exempt from property taxes of all or part of a homestead of the surviving spouse of a veteran who dies as a result of a condition or disease that was service related
PROTECTING TEXAS VALUES
As Governor, Greg Abbott has:
- Signed legislation recognizing only two sexes, male and female
- Mandated that individuals must use restrooms, locker rooms, and other private spaces based on their biological sex
- Ensured that refusal by a parent or legal guardian to affirm a child’s gender identity does not constitute child abuse and neglect, protecting parental rights
- Banned harmful gender modification procedures for minors
- Prohibited sexually oriented performances, including drag shows, to take place in the presence of a minor
- Signed historic second amendment rights legislation to secure the rights of Texans to carry firearms, including Concealed Carry, Campus Carry, and Constitutional Carry laws
- Declared Texas a second amendment sanctuary state, protecting Texans from overburdensome federal regulations regarding firearms
- Signed the strongest pro-life protections in the country to protect the unborn and pregnant women, including the Texas Human Life Protection Act, the Texas Heartbeat Act, and the Life of the Mother Act
- Prohibited Texas governmental entities from financially or logistically supporting abortions, including contracts with abortion providers or with entities that assist individuals in obtaining abortions
- Prohibited the prescribing, manufacturing, and distribution of abortion-inducing drugs in Texas
- Created the “Thriving Texas Families” program and invested a record $180 million to support mothers, fathers, and their children with services like counseling, material assistance, adoption support and more.
- Banned men from competing in women’s sports in public schools and colleges
- Signed a Constitutional amendment stating that parents are the primary decision makers for their children
KEEPING TEXAS ELECTIONS SECURE
Governor Greg Abbott has:
- Increased the penalty for voter fraud from a misdemeanor to a second-degree felony
- Signed a constitutional amendment to enshrine that only United States citizens can vote in Texas elections
- Empowered the Attorney General’s office to prosecute election crimes in Texas
- Signed new Congressional maps to ensure Texans have the ability to elect the candidate of their choice