Rick Perry in 2007 Governor's State of the State speeches
On Crime:
Amachi program: break up generational cycle of incarceration
Perhaps no student population is at greater risk than the children of prisoners. 70% are destined to follow a parent's path behind bars if no one intervenes. This is a national tragedy. We must break up the generational cycle of incarceration. That is wh
Texas was the first state to offer a statewide grant for the Amachi program administered by Big Brothers/Big Sisters, which mentors the children of prisoners. For the sake of these children, I ask you to continue funding this important program.
Source: Texas 2007 State of the State address
Feb 6, 2007
On Crime:
Tough and smart: jail sexual offenders; release non-violent
When it comes to criminal justice, I believe we can take an approach to crime that is both tough and smart. I agree with our Lieutenant Governor that sexual offenders who harm our children must face tougher penalties.
At the same time, there are thousands of non-violent offenders in the system whose future we cannot ignore. Let's focus more resources on rehabilitating those offenders so we can ultimately spend less money locking them up again.
Source: Texas 2007 State of the State address
Feb 6, 2007
On Drugs:
Protect the border from drug traffickers
The best plan to secure our border involves intensive operations with federal, state and local officials working together to seal off common illegal crossings.We have caught drug traffickers and human smugglers off guard and reduced crime in remote
border regions.
That is why I ask you to fund a $100 million effort that will expand patrols, purchase new technology and protect the border from drug traffickers, human smugglers and other criminal thugs that seek to destroy our way of life.
Source: Texas 2007 State of the State address
Feb 6, 2007
On Environment:
Stop declaring wildlife sanctuaries on water reservoirs
We are tired of environmental extremists entrenched in the federal bureaucracy undermining our regional water planning process. We support wildlife sanctuaries, but please stop declaring them on land local officials have identified as viable for water
reservoirs.In short our message to Washington is this: let Texans run Texas. I support legislation that establishes more than 20 reservoir sites in statute because securing viable water supplies is vital to the future of this state.
Source: Texas 2007 State of the State address
Feb 6, 2007
On Foreign Policy:
Divest state funds from companies doing business in Sudan
I believe the example we set in Texas can have international ramifications.
I join in protesting the ethnic genocide occurring in Darfur by calling on the state of Texas to divest of companies doing business in Sudan.
Source: Texas 2007 State of the State address
Feb 6, 2007
On Health Care:
Medical liability reforms have reduced frivolous lawsuits
As we begin 2007, Texas is perched at the forefront of a new era of prosperity. The economy is growing and government revenues are on the rise. Our state surplus is larger than ever just four years removed from our largest shortfall ever.
Frivolous lawsuits are down, as are insurance rates for homeowners and doctors. Thanks to medical liability reforms, hospitals are once again able to recruit specialists whose expertise can mean the difference between life and death.
Source: Texas 2007 State of the State address
Feb 6, 2007
On Health Care:
$50 million nursing initiative to address shortage of nurses
There is an industry shortage we must address because lives are at stake--and that is in our state's nursing profession. I am proposing a $50 million nursing initiative that addresses this shortage in two ways: first,
it provides new incentives for recruiting more students and faculty; second, it allows aspiring nurses to become licensed through a pilot program at our hospitals.
Source: Texas 2007 State of the State address
Feb 6, 2007
On Health Care:
Healthier Texas: $200M funding pool for uncompensated care
One of the greatest obstacles to individual prosperity is the rising cost of healthcare. Years of hard work and savings can be wiped out with the onset of one life-threatening illness. Of the 5.5 million uninsured Texans, 2 million are adults with
incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level. Most are working Texans whose jobs offer healthcare benefits they can't afford, or no benefits at all.
Today I am proposing a new initiative called "Healthier Texas" that will open the door to more
affordable insurance options for two million working Texans. This initiative redirects hundreds of millions of federal dollars spent on uncompensated care for the uninsured to the creation of a funding pool to purchase insurance for working
Texans below 200% of the federal poverty level. This solution recognizes the wisdom of expanding the insurance market without a government takeover of your healthcare and without adding one more Texan to the government rolls.
Source: Texas 2007 State of the State address
Feb 6, 2007
On Immigration:
$100 million investment in a more secure border
I am proposing a $100 million investment in a more secure border. There is no such thing as homeland security without border security. It is not hyperbole to say terrorists view our international border with
Mexico as a prime point of entry--that is the conclusion of the U.S. intelligence community.While the vast majority of people who come here illegally are economic migrants simply seeking a better life, the small percentage seeking to cause us harm
don't dress differently. Nor do they put out press advisories in advance of their arrival. They don't want us to know they are here until they have done mortal damage to our people.
I support strategic fencing in urban areas along the border.
But I also believe, like border sheriffs, that the best solution involves added manpower, not unmanned walls.
Source: Texas 2007 State of the State address
Feb 6, 2007
On Tax Reform:
Tax rebates & tax relief instead of government spending
Today I have proposed a budget that invests in healthcare and higher education, a budget that cuts property taxes and eliminates accounting gimmicks, and that grows the Rainy Day Fund to more than $4 billion. Not only that, it expands upon the record
property tax cut of last year by setting aside an additional $2.5 billion for tax relief.One way to provide tax relief is in the form of a rebate. The appeal of a one-time rebate is that future legislatures don't have to find the money to sustain it.
However, the will of the Legislature may be to provide rate relief instead. Either way is better than the alternative: which is having the money spent on more government.
And for the record,
I don't believe cutting taxes is the same thing as spending. A spending cap is meant to stop runaway spending, not runaway tax relief.
Source: Texas 2007 State of the State address
Feb 6, 2007
On Technology:
$40M for 5,500 students in Texas Technology Grants
I am advocating that we set aside $40 million for a new Texas Technology Grant program. Texas produces 5,500 graduates a year in electrical engineering, engineering technology and computer science while our economy produces
11,000 annual job openings in those fields. Let's invest in technology scholarships so that Texans are on the forefront of technology innovation, whether it is here at home, or in outer space.
Source: Texas 2007 State of the State address
Feb 6, 2007
Page last updated: Nov 30, 2018