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Gov.-Elect Abbott Lays Out His Priorities for His Term in Office

Attorney General Greg Abbott, seated next to his wife, Cecilia Abbott, lists his priorities for his term in office as future governor of Texas.
Veronica Zaragovia/KUT
Attorney General Greg Abbott, seated next to his wife, Cecilia Abbott, lists his priorities for his term in office as future governor of Texas.

Texas Gov.-elect Greg Abbott says his staff is ready to get to work when the 2015 legislative session begins in January. At a press conference on Monday, he laid out his priorities.

Education started off the list. Abbott says he wants more pre-kindergarten classes and improved reading and math skills by the time students reach the third grade. He says he also wants to elevate the quality of Texas universities.

"One of the areas that disturbs me is that five of the top 10 public universities are from California, with none being from Texas," he said.

Abbott also said he’ll direct personnel and resources to the Texas-Mexico border, faulting Washington for inaction. And he wants to add $4 billion per year for building roads without raising taxes, fees or tolls.

All of this will usher in Texas economic development, he says, though he didn’t offer specifics.

"More and more businesses will be knocking down the door to come into the state of Texas for greater economic opportunities," he added.

Abbott didn’t bring up issues related to open carry of handguns, Medicaid expansion or abortion restrictions, though lawmakers are likely to address these during the 2015 session, which begins Jan. 13.

Copyright 2014 KUT 90.5

Veronica Zaragovia reports on state government for KUT. She's reported as a legislative relief news person with the Associated Press in South Dakota and has contributed reporting to NPR, PRI's The World, Here & Now and Latino USA, the Agence France Presse, TIME in Hong Kong and PBS NewsHour, among others. She has two degrees from Columbia University, and has dedicated much of her adult life to traveling, learning languages and drinking iced coffee.