Sparks: Texas’ future has never been brighter

Texans have long prized our legacy of individual liberty and opportunity—one founded in the hard work and aspirations of those free to chart their own destiny. As lawmakers gather in the Texas Capitol this legislative session, we are working to preserve those ideals as our guidepost for generations to come.

Texas leads the nation for economic development and job creation. At $2 trillion, the Texas economy is the ninth largest in the world. Businesses large and small have made Texas the number-one state for business.

Despite our successes, many Texans struggle with overwhelming property tax burdens. The state has provided over $18 billion on property tax relief since 2015, but more must be done. Hardworking Texans produced the largest budget surplus in Texas history, and that money belongs to the taxpayers. This session, we must provide lasting relief with the largest property tax cut in Texas history.

I have also filed Senate Bill 946, requiring that any election to pass a bond or tax increase be held simultaneously with our November general elections so that taxpayers have a clearer view of their tax burdens when they elect the individuals who impose those burdens. I also plan to file legislation addressing the misuse of tax anticipation notes and to ensure that bonds are used in an effective and fiscally responsible manner.

Texans also deserve relief from COVID restrictions. Prohibiting governments from closing any business or school and from implementing any mask and vaccine mandates will let Texans maintain their personal freedoms while closing the door on these restrictions.

To ensure students are equipped to be Texas’ future entrepreneurs, innovators, leaders, and good upstanding citizens, our education system must work for every child. Texas is number-one for National Blue Ribbon Schools and among the top 10 states with the highest graduation rate. Despite this progress, not every child is receiving the education they need. Whether it’s concerns about political agendas

and inappropriate content, or a diminishing parental role in the classroom, reforms are needed to get students back to the fundamentals of learning.

Importantly, parents must be empowered in their child’s education. This includes access to curriculum, instructional materials, and school libraries. If expectations are not being met, parents deserve options. That includes reforming the grievance process to ensure parent concerns are addressed quickly and respectfully. We must bolster a parent’s right to be the primary decisionmaker in all matters involving their child and require schools to better inform parents of their rights.

Children must also be safe at school. In the past year, we have provided $628.5 million for school safety and convened special legislative committees on the issue. But schools need additional resources to boost security on their campus and expand access to mental health care. We must ensure all schools are safe for our students.

Public safety further depends on keeping dangerous criminals behind bars pending trial. Activist judges are perpetuating revolving door bail practices that kill innocent Texans. We are working to put a stop to this practice and hold rogue judges accountable.

As we work toward securing our schools and communities, we must also address the threat stemming from the Biden Administration’s refusal to secure our southern border. Ruthless cartels and transnational criminals profit off the chaos created by President Biden’s inaction while lawlessness creeps further into Texas communities.

Governor Abbott and the Texas legislature have already taken historic actions to secure the border, including providing more than $4 billion to fund Operation Lone Star, with $4.6 billion earmarked in the latest Texas House and Senate budget proposals. Because of the Biden Administration’s brazen dereliction of duty, securing our border will require continued state efforts.

One tragic consequence of our porous southern border is the fentanyl crisis, which has already taken far too many innocent lives. The Texas Department of Public

Safety has seized enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman, and child in America, yet this clandestine killer continues to upend lives across the state. This session, we will treat fentanyl poisonings as murder and increase the supply of lifesaving Narcan to put an end to this cartel-driven travesty.

This session, we are building a Texas that confronts our challenges with an unflinching force that makes us the leader of the nation. Even with the work ahead of us, one thing is clear: 187 years after our state was founded, it has never been a better time to be a Texan.

Kevin Sparks is a Republican State Senator for the 31st District of Texas, which includes Amarillo and the Panhandle.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Sparks: Texas’ future has never been brighter