LOCKHART, Texas (Talk1370.com) -- In a unique State of the State address Monday night, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared that "normalcy is returning" to the state despite being nearly a year into the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Abbott, delivering the State of the State address for the first time outside the Texas Capitol, spoke from Visionary Fiber Technologies in Lockhart.
"As we gather tonight," Abbott said, "I can tell you that the state of our state is brimming with promise."
Most importantly, the address is Abbott's opportunity to declare emergency items for the Legislature, which allows lawmakers to bypass a 60-day no voting rule in the Texas Constitution and pass legislation related to the declared items. The emergency items Abbott laid out in the address are:
Expanding broadband access
Passing laws that prevent cities from defunding the police
Fixing the "flawed bail system" via the Damon Allen Act
Election integrity so Texans can have "trust and confidence in the outcome of elections"
Coronavirus-related civil liability protections for "individuals, businesses and health care providers that operated safely during the pandemic"
The unique setting for Monday's address underscored the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the state - a virus that has infected more than 2 million Texans and killed more than 36,000.
"To say the pandemic is a challenge is an understatement but to say it has been a reversal of who we are as Texans is a misstatement," Abbott said. "Texas remains the economic engine of America, the land of unmatched opportunity, and our comeback is already materializing."
In addition to the five emergency items, Abbott also laid out a number of other priorities for the Legislature to work on this session. Those priorities include continued investments in education and mental health, a permanent expansion of telemedicine, efforts on border security, gun rights, and abortion.
Abbott also called on lawmakers to review of some of the regulations that have been relaxed during the pandemic, and to see which ones can be made permanent. He also called on lawmakers to act to protect religious freedoms, calling for a law that would prevent any governmental entity from shutting down a religious activity.
Texas Democrats, in a pre-recorded response that aired followed Abbott's address, highlighted many of the ways they believe the governor has failed Texans. "Let's be clear, no matter what Governor Abbott says we have suffered under his watch because of his actions," party chair Gilberto Hinojosa said. "We're all hurting. Texans are demanding an end to this pandemic and a fair shot to get ahead. As Barbara Jordan said, 'what the people want is very simple, they want an America as good as its promise."
Austin Mayor Steve Adler also responded to Abbott's remarks, defending the city's efforts in spite of Abbott's attacks. "It's because we respect and value our police officers, that we want them working on crime," Adler said. "We want them to do the work of fighting crime, and let the mental health interventionists do that other work." Adler also pointed out Austin's low unemployment rates and the number of new businesses coming to town, saying that business is coming "not despite the policies that we have, but because of those."
"State interference with local governments is not the answer," Adler continued. "The number one threat to public safety is this virus, and it's not over."
