Texas' top three elected leaders are already laying the groundwork for the next legislative session, and they're making it clear where they want lawmakers to focus.
Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) sent a joint letter Wednesday to state agencies, appellate courts, and public universities outlining the state's budget priorities ahead of the 90th Legislative Session, which begins in January.
The letter mostly serves as a budgeting directive, telling agencies to tighten their belts. But it also offers an early preview of the issues Republican leaders want front and center when lawmakers return to Austin.
At the top of the list are four priorities: keeping Texas more affordable, cutting state spending, maintaining funding for education programs, and continuing property tax relief.
“These spending reductions will provide the baseline for a conservative budget that prioritizes property tax relief and strategic investments to support our state’s growth and keep Texas on solid footing,” Burrows said in the letter.
Most state agencies will be required to reduce their base budget requests by 3 percent. However, several major areas are exempt from those cuts, including the Foundation School Program, the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, bond debt payments, payroll increases tied to pensions and benefits, and certain social programs such as foster care and adoption subsidies.
The budget priorities aren't coming out of nowhere.
Earlier this year, both Burrows and Patrick released interim charges directing legislative committees to study a wide range of issues before the session begins. Those lists covered dozens of topics, but there was plenty of overlap. Property tax relief, school choice, and reducing what Republicans consider wasteful government spending appeared on both leaders' agendas.
The new letter narrows the focus, signaling which budget issues are likely to rise to the top when lawmakers begin writing the state's next spending plan.
As the presiding officers of the House and Senate, Burrows and Patrick have significant influence over what legislation advances in their chambers, making the joint letter an important early indicator of where the session is headed.
The current state budget, passed by the 89th Legislature, covers fiscal years 2026 and 2027. While it's about 5 percent larger than the budget approved two years earlier, general revenue spending remains below the constitutional limit tied to population growth and inflation.
