Office of the Governor Rick Perry:
UPDATE: AUSTIN (KYTX) - Gov. Rick Perry delivered his State of the State address to the 83rd
Texas Legislature, highlighting our state's strong economic outlook, and
outlining his priorities to keep Texas on an upward trajectory. He
called on the Legislature to provide at least $1.8 billion in tax
relief, invest in the state's water and transportation infrastructure
and improve access and choice in both public and higher education,
including providing South Texas access to the Permanent University Fund.
This is Gov. Perry's seventh State of the State address.
"The state of our state is stronger than ever. We remain the nation's
prime destination for employers and job-seekers alike, and across the
state - in classrooms, on assembly lines, in laboratories, on farms and
in office buildings - hard working Texans are today turning their dreams
into realities," Gov. Perry said. "Big and small, dreams do become
reality in Texas."
The governor called on the Legislature to provide at least $1.8
billion in tax relief and pass a constitutional amendment to allow the
state to give money directly back to taxpayers. He welcomed feedback
from Texans on the best methods of tax relief, inviting them to share
their ideas on the governor's website, gov.Texas.gov.
The governor also noted that our strong economic growth and expanding
population have increased demand on the fundamental building blocks of
our communities. To address these needs, he urged lawmakers to use $3.7
billion from the Rainy Day Fund for a one-time investment in water and
transportation infrastructure programs. Additionally, he called on the
Legislature to once and for all end diversions from the State Highway
Fund, freeing up an additional $1.3 billion of ongoing biennial funding
available for transportation.
"What I am proposing will support critical water and transportation
systems across our state, addresses our needs both short- and long-term,
and ensures both water and traffic will continue to flow in Texas for
generations to come," the governor said.
Recognizing that not every child learns for the same purpose or
thrives in the same settings and schools, the governor called for more
choice in both public and higher education. This includes the creation
of more public charter schools, which are already in high demand across
the state and offer a tuition-free alternative to a student's
neighborhood school, and the creation of scholarship programs to give
students a choice in their education, especially for those locked into
low-performing schools. The governor also emphasized the need to give
students more flexibility in the courses they take in high school to
prepare them for whatever their goals may be, without sacrificing
rigorous academic standards.
Also highlighting the state's higher education needs, particularly in
the dynamic and growing South Texas region, the governor called on
lawmakers to provide the region access to the Permanent University Fund.
This paired with efforts to make higher education more accessible and
affordable to all Texans - such as providing more $10,000 degree
options, a four-year tuition freeze and tying a minimum of ten percent
of a school's state funding to the number of students it graduates - all
represent an investment in our state's skilled workforce and our
future.
"Texas is not merely strong, but exceptional. We are a testament to
the power of freedom, to the entrepreneurial spirit unleashed from
government interference," said Gov. Perry in closing. "We believe these
ideals are sturdy enough and strong enough to advance any and all Texans
regardless of race, color or creed. We embrace a ‘can do culture' for
every citizen willing to work hard and pursue a dream. Those ideals
propel us forward as we stand as a national example that hard work can
breed success regardless of one's station in life, that freedom is the
best antidote to poverty, and that each individual deserves to inherit a
state of equality and opportunity."
The governor also emphasized the principles of the Texas Budget
Compact, such as truing up the budget and moving away from budget
gimmicks; implementing a stronger constitutional limit on spending that
ensures it does not grow more than the combined rate of inflation and
population growth; scrubbing the budget for any waste and redundancies;
ending the practice of using dedicated funds and specific fees for
anything other than the purpose for which they were intended; and
maintaining a strong Rainy Day Fund that includes not tapping the fund
to meet ongoing expenses.
Today, Gov. Perry released his proposed state budget for the 2014-15 biennium. To view the budget, please visit, http://governor.state.tx.us/files/press-office/Governors_Budget_2014-15.pdf
To view the governor's full remarks, please visit http://governor.state.tx.us/news/speech/18095/.
To view biographies of Gov. Perry's guests for the speech, please visit
http://governor.state.tx.us/SOTS/faces.
AUSTIN (
THE TEXAS TRIBUNE) - Gov.
Rick Perry has given six State of the State addresses, outlining his vision for the state and his strategies for each legislative session. Before lunch Tuesday, he'll deliver the seventh, telling the 83rd Legislature — and the rest of us — what's on his mind and what he hopes to accomplish along with state lawmakers before the end of the regular session on Memorial Day.
A source familiar with the speech said Perry would advocate spending "several billion from the Rainy Day Fund for a one-time investment in water and infrastructure projects." That mirrors legislative proposals for a $2 billion starter fund for water and unspecified amounts for transportation. The governor will continue to argue that the fund should not be tapped for continuing expenses. But with it projected to hit nearly $12 billion by the end of the next two-year budget, the source said Perry would also make the case that the fund should not be "allowed to accumulate more than necessary."
He will also propose ending diversions from the state highway fund so all of it can be used for transportation. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said recently that money from that fund should all go to transportation projects and that the state should pay for the Department of Public Safety out of other accounts.
The setup for the governor was evident before the session even began. The budget numbers from Comptroller Susan Combs are a vast improvement over the forecast she gave two years ago, and the one two years before that. The partisan makeup of the Legislature — set by voters in last year's elections — is close to what it was two years ago: Republicans are firmly in control in both chambers and in all of the statewide offices. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the federal health care reform laws, the Affordable Care Act, and now the state and federal governments are trying to figure out just how that will work.
The 2014 elections are already a subject of conversation in the Capitol, and will play into strategy and tactics of the governor and many others on the political food chain between now and candidate filing deadlines a little less than a year away.
The state economy is strong and recovering, but challenges remain in infrastructure, public and higher education, health care and immigration. And then there are the collected legislative promises made by the 181 members of the Senate and the House during their recent election campaigns.
For openers, we've assembled previous reporting on Perry's biennial messages to the Legislature.
• In his previous speeches, the governor has proposed to sell a government-run lottery to finance a health insurance program. He wanted to deregulate college tuition, and then freeze it. He proposed leaving the state's Rainy Day Fund alone — or sending all of that money back to taxpayers. He wanted to cap increases in local property taxes, to spend tax money on companies moving to Texas, and to increase the number of kids in the Children's Health Insurance Program.
• When Perry delivered his sixth State of the State speech, we wondered whether his emphasis on certain words or subjects had changed in the 10 years he has delivered the biennial speeches. A visual look at Perry's words.
And here are links to the text of the previous six speeches:
• 2011
• 2009
• 2007
• 2005
• 2003
• 2001
Governor Rick Perry delivers the State of State speech on February 8th, 2011.
