This Op-Ed from Governor Greg Abbott first appeared in the Longview News-Journal, February 21, 2015.
By Greg Abbott
Longview News-Journal
Jobs are growing in Texas and more families in Longview, my boyhood home, are sharing in the promise of Texas. But there’s more work to do.
On Tuesday, as governor of this great state, I submitted a budget charting a course to keep Texas No. 1 in job creation.
Texas leads the nation because of our greatest natural resource: the hardworking people of Texas. You’ve built a strong, diversified economy. Together with my partners in the Texas Legislature, I am going to work by your side to make it even stronger.
Our journey begins by creating the best schools in America.
We can be No. 1 in education by building a stronger foundation in early education. Our goal should be to ensure all students in the Piney Woods region are performing at grade level in reading and math by the end of third grade.
To begin that process, my budget provides additional funding for schools adopting high-quality pre-K programs. My plan adds reading and math academies for our pre-K through third-grade teachers. And my budget invests in more science, technology, engineering and math teachers as well as teachers who serve our most disadvantaged students.
Parents should not feel powerless, and no child should be stuck in a failing school. My plan strengthens the role parents have in determining what educational opportunities are available to their children, while providing teachers with more resources to help them achieve even more classroom success. Our parents deserve more choices; our children deserve better results.
Higher education also doesn’t work in a one-size-fits-all approach. We need to expand and support our community colleges that serve as the gateway to better jobs. We must restrain the spiraling costs of college tuition. And we need to elevate the national research standing of our universities to keep the brightest minds here in Texas.
Education is not our only priority as a state. With the passage of Proposition 1 in November, Texans sent a loud and clear message: You’re tired of being stuck in traffic.
Tax dollars you pay for roads should be spent on roads. My budget ends diversions and adds more than $4 billion a year to build more roads without raising taxes, fees, tolls or debt.
Wherever those roads take us, America is the brightest beacon of freedom because of the men and women in our military. But the unemployment rate for our veterans in Texas is too high.
My plan removes financial barriers, making it easier for veterans to open businesses.
And for service members who return home broken from battle, my budget includes funding for mental health screenings.
It’s not just our veterans who need better access to health care. I am calling for an increase in funding for women’s health programs, including cancer screenings, checkups and treatment of postpartum depression.
To keep our economy healthy, we need to rein in regulations and reduce licensing requirements that drive higher costs for small businesses in Gregg and Harrison counties.
But the best way to help Texans create more jobs is to permanently reduce the business franchise tax. I will reject any budget that does not include genuine tax relief for Texas employers and job creators.
I will also insist on property tax reduction. It’s time for you — not government — to truly own your property.
When it comes to our state’s responsibilities, our foremost obligation is to protect our residents’ safety.
My plan more than doubles border security spending to stop transnational criminal activity that threatens every community in Texas.
Finally, Texas families live within a budget, so too should their government. That’s why my budget proposes to reduce most state agencies’ general revenue spending by 3 percent. To lead by example, I’m cutting the governor’s office budget by more than 10 percent.
As public servants, we must never forget for whom we work.
Working together, I am confident Texas will continue to lead the nation.