Texas' top legislative leaders say they've reached a deal on three major priorities.
Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen announced the agreements late Thursday afternoon on the lawn of the Governor's Mansion. They include property taxes, school finance and two-year budget.
Gov. Abbott says it fufills a pledge he made when sworn into office four years ago.
“I said that we must act to pay our best teachers more, HB 3 does that. I said we must reward teachers and school districts that achieve results. We've done that. I said we must prioritize spending in the classroom. We've done that.”
Speaker Bonnen said House lawmakers' number one priority was school funding.
“Four-point-five billion dollars will be going into the classrooms of Texas children. That's prioritizing kids in Texas,” he said.
Meanwhile, SB 2 provides about $5 billion in statewide property tax relief during the first biennium.
“We have a touchdown,” said Lt. Gov. Patrick. “We have had the Super Bowl of legislative sessions in the history of this state, and I think the history of the country. Transformational ideas in education which take us to number one in the country for the way we're going to finance education and the reforms.”