So how'd Abbott do in his first Texas legislative session? Depends on whom you ask
AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott can tout that he’s fared well, and even piled up some bragging rights, in his first legislative session as Texas’ chief executive.
Experts and key lawmakers generally agree that when the last gavel falls on the 84th Texas Legislature on Monday night, Abbott can check “done” on many of his top goals. They include tax cuts, prekindergarten, border security and a bold — if lightly funded — plan to lure Nobel laureates to come hang up their lab coats on Texas soil.
“He took a measured approach, putting forth an ambitious but not overly ambitious agenda,” said Rice University political scientist Mark Jones. “As a result, he’s able to claim victory on pretty much all of his major agenda items.”
In the session’s final days, though, Abbott’s push for an ethics bill curbing elected officials’ conflicts of interest fell victim to House-Senate disagreements. And while the Republican governor can claim some progress in the new budget toward better funding of a fraying road system, significant new spending for transportation is still several years away, Jones noted.
Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/state-politics/20150531-so-how-d-abbott-do-in-his-first-texas-legislative-session-depends-on-whom-you-ask.ece
