ARTICLE
The state’s highway funding system is structured for significant increases in the coming years, Gov. Greg Abbott assured AGC of Texas members during a January reception at the chapter office. The state’s steady population increase will continue to drive sales tax revenue, and oil and gas severance tax revenue will keep increasing. Both contribute to the state’s highway fund. “And what that means, in turn, is that our local Texas, whether you live in Houston city or Houston County or Austin city or Austin County - large city or small rural Texas - we will be building better communities by funding transportation projects,” Abbott said. “And then you deliver those transportation projects for local communities so that everybody in every region of the entire state of Texas is benefiting. “So thank you for what you do. And, as I've told many of you before, and I will reiterate, I have one ask of you - and that is to ‘turn dirt’.” The state’s 10-year highway funding plan calls for $145.8 billion. Abbott told AGC members he expects the Unified Transportation Program number to exceed $200 billion before he leaves office. Texas remains a leader in economic development, with about 350 economic development projects in the pipeline, Abbott said. “When we have 475,000 people coming to Texas, those are people that go to the grocery store, they go out to eat and every time they pay sales taxes, they're adding more funding for y’all to build more roads,” Abbott said. Hundreds of thousands of people also move from Texas every year, leaving a net migration of 174,261 between 2021 and 2022, according to the Census Bureau. From Abbott’s perspective, four elements make a community strong and attractive: “One is to have good roads so you can get around. The other is access to health care, good schools, and safe communities. If you could provide just those four things, it's going to be a great place for people to live.” Abbott asked if anyone from the Permian Basin was present. Outgoing AGC of Texas President Stacey Bryant of the Odessa area happened to be standing right behind the governor. Abbott explained that significant highway funding for the Permian Basin and a new medical school is creating “a thriving community that will attract and keep people in Midland and in Odessa as opposed to going out there working for a while and then leaving whenever there may be some type of bust.” Acquisitions and mergers involving oil and gas companies will lead to more price stability, and Texas’ liquified natural gas exports also produce more stability and predictability, he predicted. “And while there's no one who can say, ‘we're not going to face a recession or anything like that’. What we can say, and what the Federal Reserve has said, is that Texas is better positioned than any other state in America, to be able to withstand a recession, to be able to avoid a downturn. And it's in part because of the diversified portfolio that we have in a state economically, whether it be tech or healthcare or energy or whatever,” Abbott said. He responded with a “wow” after accepting more than $500,000 from AGC of Texas members. He then mingled with members. “This money is very much needed because I've already made clear I'm running for re-election,” Abbott said.
The state’s highway funding system is structured for significant increases in the coming years, Gov. Greg Abbott assured AGC of Texas members during a January reception at the chapter office.
The state’s steady population increase will continue to drive sales tax revenue, and oil and gas severance tax revenue will keep increasing. Both contribute to the state’s highway fund.
“And what that means, in turn, is that our local Texas, whether you live in Houston city or Houston County or Austin city or Austin County - large city or small rural Texas - we will be building better communities by funding transportation projects,” Abbott said. “And then you deliver those transportation projects for local communities so that everybody in every region of the entire state of Texas is benefiting.
“So thank you for what you do. And, as I've told many of you before, and I will reiterate, I have one ask of you - and that is to ‘turn dirt’.”
The state’s 10-year highway funding plan calls for $145.8 billion. Abbott told AGC members he expects the Unified Transportation Program number to exceed $200 billion before he leaves office.
Texas remains a leader in economic development, with about 350 economic development projects in the pipeline, Abbott said.
“When we have 475,000 people coming to Texas, those are people that go to the grocery store, they go out to eat and every time they pay sales taxes, they're adding more funding for y’all to build more roads,” Abbott said.
Hundreds of thousands of people also move from Texas every year, leaving a net migration of 174,261 between 2021 and 2022, according to the Census Bureau.
From Abbott’s perspective, four elements make a community strong and attractive: “One is to have good roads so you can get around. The other is access to health care, good schools, and safe communities. If you could provide just those four things, it's going to be a great place for people to live.”
Abbott asked if anyone from the Permian Basin was present. Outgoing AGC of Texas President Stacey Bryant of the Odessa area happened to be standing right behind the governor.
Abbott explained that significant highway funding for the Permian Basin and a new medical school is creating “a thriving community that will attract and keep people in Midland and in Odessa as opposed to going out there working for a while and then leaving whenever there may be some type of bust.” Acquisitions and mergers involving oil and gas companies will lead to more price stability, and Texas’ liquified natural gas exports also produce more stability and predictability, he predicted.
“And while there's no one who can say, ‘we're not going to face a recession or anything like that’. What we can say, and what the Federal Reserve has said, is that Texas is better positioned than any other state in America, to be able to withstand a recession, to be able to avoid a downturn. And it's in part because of the diversified portfolio that we have in a state economically, whether it be tech or healthcare or energy or whatever,” Abbott said.
He responded with a “wow” after accepting more than $500,000 from AGC of Texas members. He then mingled with members.
“This money is very much needed because I've already made clear I'm running for re-election,” Abbott said.