WACO, Texas — In a wide-ranging interview on Thursday, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick weighed in on the hottest issues during the current the legislative session in Austin.
Patrick, now in his third term, said the proposal endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott, Republican legislators, and himself to offer school choice vouchers of up to $10,000 per family is the right decision.
Some public schools educators, and teacher associations, have expressed serious concerns about the potential funding and image impact on public education.
“As you may know, the governor is traveling the state drawing big crowds when he talks about school choice. We’re sensitive to smaller districts [on attendance], and we’re sending a check to that school for two years to $10,000 [per student],” Patrick said, emphasizing that ultimately it bottoms down to offering parents a choice on education.
In Central Texas, the effort to save popular Fairfield Lake State Park from private development has drawn a huge outpouring of support.
Legislation introduced in both the state house and senate would save the park, partly through eminent domain, but Patrick stopped short of endorsing the move in the interview.
“We believe in our state parks. We have 89 in the state and we’re going to be putting money from the surplus into a long-range plan. There’s a contract between Vistra [the owner] and a private developer in Dallas. I’m not interfering in a private development. Hopefully, it gets worked out,” said Patrick.
The fervor surrounding online sports betting is also proving a big talker in some Texas social circles, but Patrick said support for any legalization this session appears muted at best.
“Right now, there are no votes in the senate. There’s no support I can see. There wasn’t when the session began and there’s not now with the numbers to pass a bill,” said Patrick.
Earlier in the week, a senate committee pushed through a property tax reform bill, which the Republican thinks can become law.
“It’ll increase the homestead exemption for every homeowner in Texas to $70,000, and if you’re a senior 65 and older, it’s $100,000, unheard of!” Patrick said.
