Governor Abbott Campaigns on Texas Affordability, Proposing Housing and Tax Reforms
Governor Greg Abbott is centering his re-election campaign on making Texas more affordable, introducing a range of policy proposals aimed at reducing the cost of living. A key component of his plan focuses on housing, seeking to increase supply by streamlining permitting and construction processes. This includes advocating for legislation that would allow developers to build pre-approved home designs and making it a right for homeowners to construct additions to their properties. Additionally, Abbott's strategy involves a property tax overhaul, proposing caps on local spending and home appraisals, creating rollback elections to lower rates, and a constitutional amendment to eliminate school property taxes. He also suggests initiatives like cheaper summer college courses and shorter degree pathways. This approach marks a shift for the governor, who has not previously made affordability a central theme in his campaigns, despite data from the Urban Institute indicating that 50% of Texans struggled to cover es... 
