Seek constitutional amendment requiring two-thirds vote of Legislature to raise taxes
Will seek a "constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to increase state taxes."
Fund state water plan
"On the water side, I sincerely believe that the 82nd Legislature must finally execute our state’s water plan to help meet a demand that is expected to grow 18 percent over the next 50 years as our population doubles. Some might call the current price tag steep, but we must invest soon to avoid a water crisis in the not too distant future."
Create criminal penalties for employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers
Impose "criminal penalties on employers who knowingly violate employment laws by hiring workers who are in Texas illegally."
Expand Advanced Placement training program to 50 additional high schools
"Expand the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program to 50 additional high schools."
Require students to stay in high school or be earning GED to keep driver's license
In "order for high school-aged individuals to get and keep a driver's license they should be enrolled in school, be it bricks and mortar or our virtual high school, and, most importantly, working toward their diploma or GED."
Establish statewide inspector general
Establish "a statewide inspector general to maximize cost efficiency and effectiveness at state agencies."
Won't run for president
"I don't want to be president of the United States. I'm not going to run for the presidency of the United States."
Provide business tax credit to help workers get high-school diplomas
Offer businesses a tax incentive of $1,500 for each full-time employee who earns a high school diploma or GED. Business would be required to grant their employees two hours a week of paid time off to study or attend class.
Require active monitoring of high-risk sex offenders for three years on release from prison
"The governor also is proposing legislation requiring the active monitoring of high-risk sex offenders using tracking technology as part of the sex offender's sentence, and requiring all high-risk registered sex offenders who have served their entire prison sentence be actively monitored for three years upon release from prison."
Freeze public-college tuition increases for four years
"To make education even stronger I have proposed several initiatives, which include... implementing a four-year tuition freeze at state universities..."
Pursue state aid to pay share of education center at Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington
"I will work with the legislature to ensure Texas does its part to make this dream a reality by pursuing an appropriation that will enable Texas to bear its fair share of the project's costs."
Require the legislature to say when it creates a new cause of action in statute
Require “the legislature to explicitly state when they are creating a new cause of action in statute, forcing courts to read statutes strictly and providing only those rights and remedies the legislature intended.”
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