Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been dropping some hints about some of the major issues that he plans to focus his attention on heading into 2027, which is already expected to be a busy year given the upcoming 90th legislative session set to kick off on January 12th.
The Texas Scorecard reports that in a recent radio appearance, Governor Abbott highlighted the effort to close the Texas primaries. That’s something the Texas Republican Party has been trying to do for some time and is currently locked in a legal battle with the state over.
According to Texas Scorecard editor Brandon Waltens: “Governor Abbott has been calling for a specifically legislative solution. He said he wants to see the legislature tackle this subject and actually put in place some laws.”
On top of primaries, Abbott is likely going to put a heavy emphasis on addressing the data center issue, which has gotten headlines across the country and been at the center of the midterm elections.
Data centers, and the tech industry as a whole, have exploded in recent years in Texas, but recently, Abbott has been pushing a new set of guidelines for data center developments. Waltens said: “Water usage, bringing your own power, not building near rural neighborhoods. This is what the Governor has been talking about, and lawmakers are eager to place guardrails.”
An expansion of Texas’ school choice voucher program is likely going to be pushed by both Abbott and Republican legislators. Waltens pointed out that in the first year, only $1 billion in funding was provided for the program, which has resulted in a waiting list of more than 100,000 students.