Abbott-O-Meter

Tracking the promises of Greg Abbott

"Allowing credits to transfer more freely enables aspiring students to take advantage of junior and community college cost savings."

Public colleges and universities should be required to give college credit to high-school students scoring 3 or better on AP exams, potentially saving students and parents tuition money.

College credit for courses taken via EdX, a collaboration providing online Massive Open Collaborative Courses, would help reduce higher education costs.

A fund already created by lawmakers would need about $363 million to cover tuition costs currently absorbed by institutions of higher education.

Lawmakers should appropriate $200 million, a $40 million increase, to the Texas Competitive Knowledge Fund, which was created to bolster research at several universities.

On the stump, Abbott called the 2001 tuition law "flawed" and said he would not veto a bill to repeal it. But he did not outline how he would suggest fixing it.

"Granting 'reduction' line-item veto authority to the Texas governor would give a fiscally responsible governor a useful tool to reduce spending without eviscerating appropriations entirely." Abbott said this change would require lawmakers to send voters a proposed constitutional amendment.

"Prohibiting the practice of funds consolidation is a critical reform that will restore truth-in-budgeting. Dedicated accounts should be used only for their intended purpose, not to grow the state budget." Abbott said this change, taking effect in 2023-24, would require lawmakers to send voters a proposed constitutional amendment.

Texas' current constitutional spending limit "must be strengthened." Imposing a tougher limit would require lawmakers to send voters a proposed constitutional amendment.

Gov. Greg Abbott wants lawmakers to send voters a proposed constitutional amendment to toughen the existing ability of lawmakers to override the spending limit by majority votes of the House and Senate.

Voters should be asked to approve a proposed constitutional amendment allowing the Economic Stabilization Fund to be used to cover current-biennium revenue shortfalls, retire existing state debt, make one-time infrastructure payments or to cover expenses related to disasters as declared by the governor.

"We must ensure that Texas' four-year public universities claim five of the top ten spots in future rankings" of public universities by U.S. News.

Pass a state law barring state resources including personnel from being employed to implement or enforce the Obamacare law.