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Patrick also took a moment to acknowledge the recent severe storms that swept through the Big Country.
“I’m glad to know that there were no serious injuries or deaths last night. I know there was some damage,” Patrick expressed. “Some pretty bad weather rumbled through Texas, and we’re glad that’s behind us.”
Education: Property Tax Cuts & Teacher Raises
One of the top issues Patrick discussed was education, beginning with property tax relief and teacher pay raises.
He explained that when school property taxes are reduced, the state must fill that funding gap. This session, the Texas Legislature will cover $51 billion in school property taxes.
“If you’re over 65 and you’re the average senior, you won’t have any more school taxes to pay ever again as long as you live. If you’re under 65, your taxes will be down about 50% on average from just several years ago,” Patrick shared.
An additional $8.5 billion was allocated to public education, with nearly half dedicated to boosting teacher salaries. Rural teachers will also see a specific increase to help close the pay gap between urban and rural districts.
“The most valuable asset, the key to your child’s or grandchild’s education, is a great teacher. In the past, teachers just haven’t been getting the benefits of all the money we spent on public education,” Patrick explained.
The Ten Commandments & Prayer in School
Patrick also addressed a new law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. The posters can be donated by churches, businesses, or individuals, and schools will be obligated to display them.
“The values are the basis for all Western civilization,” Patrick expressed.
In addition, legislation was passed to provide private time for students who wish to pray.
“We’re not compelling anyone to pray in school, but we’re giving anyone who wants to pray private time,” Patrick said.
Taking “Wokeness” Out of Schools
Patrick emphasized efforts to remove what he referred to as “wokeness” from public schools. That includes a ban on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs and prohibiting individuals assigned male at birth from participating in women’s sports.
“We’ve also continued to get the wokeness out of schools… DEI and other issues that were distracting students from the main goal to learn and to get a great education,” Patrick shared.
School Choice
Patrick also promoted the new school voucher-style program, recently signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott. The law allocates billions toward public education while allowing up to 100,000 students to apply for funding to attend the school of their choice.
“They can go into a system and apply. It’ll be a lottery system where we’ll accept up to 100,000 children to go to the school of their choice. The state will provide funding for that,” Patrick explained.
Patrick also touched on the claim that school choice undermines public education, saying that’s far from the case.
“They said that about homeschooling… They said that about charter schools, and now they’ve said it about school choice,” Patrick said. “Just so you have a comparison, we will spend a billion dollars on school choice per year, and we’ll spend somewhere around $40 billion on public schools… There’s no competition there.”
Ban on THC
Turning to student safety, Patrick expressed concern over vape and THC products sold near schools, sharing that seven students were hospitalized at a graduation after consuming gummies reportedly bought from a smoke shop.
“8,000 smoke shops have opened up within 1,000 to 2,00 feet of a school… Police want it banned, every doctor that testified wanted it banned, and the testimony from parents was just horrendous,” Patrick shared.
Despite concerns about a black market, Patrick stood firm on the need for a ban.
“Our job as elected officials is to ensure the health and safety of our citizens. THC, no one knows what’s in it… This is not the pot that people smoked 20 years ago. It’s four to five times more powerful; you can’t control it. The only thing you can do is ban it,” Patrick shared.
However, he clarified that Texans can still access medical THC through the state’s Compassionate Use Program.
“Whether it’s cancer, PTSD, chronic pain, whatever it may be, that program is the legal way to do it,” Patrick said.
Infrastructure & Law Enforcement Funding
Patrick highlighted significant investments in infrastructure, including $3 billion for water and $5 billion for power improvements.
He also addressed law enforcement and border security, emphasizing the need for legal immigration while targeting and blocking criminal elements.
“A lot of people are coming for the American dream, but a lot of criminals and gang members are coming. We don’t want those. People who want the American dream, we need a legal process for people to come here legally,” Patrick said.
Additionally, $350 million was invested to raise pay for rural law enforcement officers.
“Sheriffs just couldn’t make enough money to keep people who want to be in law enforcement in rural Texas, so now we’ve increased sheriffs’ pay up to $75,000,” Patrick shared.
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