WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick visited Waco for a State of the State luncheon at the Baylor Club before holding a press conference at Texas Farm Bureau Insurance on Tuesday, where he spoke about the Texas economy and his plans for the next legislative session if re-elected.
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Patrick said Texas is on track to become one of the largest economies in the world.
"Let's talk about the state of state, Texas. It is probably going to pass France before the year ends as the 7th largest economy," Patrick said.
Despite that growth, Patrick acknowledged that many Texans are not feeling the benefits.
"65% of the people in Texas say we're on the wrong track," Patrick said.
Patrick pointed to several accomplishments during his time as lieutenant governor, including increased pay for teachers, rural sheriffs and deputies, and major property tax relief.
"Since I've been lieutenant governor, we have added $40 billion to public education, $40 billion even with enrollment going down in many districts," Patrick said.
He also highlighted investments in rural law enforcement.
"We spent $350 million and sent it all to rural Texas counties, to guarantee a minimum of $75,000 a year for sheriffs, a minimum of $45,000 for deputies, a minimum of $40,000 for the jailers, and we also provided money for DAs and have investigators," Patrick said.
Patrick said part of the challenge is communicating those accomplishments to voters.
"We're still according to people on the wrong track. Because we're not very good at telling that story, because people don't really want to hear what you've done, they wanna know what you're going to do for the most part," Patrick said.
If re-elected, Patrick said he will push for more regulations on data centers and transmission lines, and work to eliminate school property taxes.
"People are mad in large part because they haven't had a say in these data centers or power lines, so I've been very clear, we're going to move those power lines to go down highways where we already have easements, and not over people's land where they live."
Patrick said his approach to regulating data centers comes down to one principle.
"One of my guardrails is simple — the local citizens need to approve these in their communities," Patrick said."
I reached out to Patrick's opponent in the upcoming election, Vicki Goodwin. She said property taxes keep the lights on in schools, so rather than eliminating them, her plan is to invest more state money into public education. She also plans to end sales tax incentives for data centers.
Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 19, leading up to Election Day on Nov. 3.
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