Greg Abbott in 2018 TX Governor's race

On Crime: Raise bail when past criminals are re-arrested

Abbott said bond amounts would be set to better match the threat of accused criminals. His changes would include:
• Having judges and magistrates who set bail be informed of the defendant's full criminal history and take that into account when setting bond amounts.
• Adding the safety of law enforcement to the list of threats judges must consider when setting bail.
• Implementing a statewide case management system, so judges and magistrates would have all the relevant information at bail settings.

On Free Trade: Expand Texas' robust trade relationship with Canada

"Today's meeting with Prime Minister Trudeau was very productive, and I was honored to have him here in the Lone Star State. As Texas' second largest export destination, Canada is a strong trading partner with Texas, especially in the energy sector. I look forward to continue working with Prime Minister Trudeau to expand Texas' already robust relationship with Canada."

On Drugs: More drug testing for unemployment insurance applicants

Congress authorized the Labor Department to craft a rule that would provide states the option to drug test unemployment insurance applicants. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration drafted the rule too narrowly, undermining the intent of Congress and permitting drug testing in too few instances.

Drug testing UI applicants can help individuals suffering from substance abuse to access necessary care and treatment so they may re-enter the workforce as healthy and productive members of society. We believe this rule should be replaced with a new rule that allows increased flexibility for states to implement UI drug testing that best fits the needs of each state. We look forward to working with Congress on this issue going forward.

On Energy & Oil: Clean Power Plan is an EPA power grab

"The EPA's latest power grab--disguised as a "Clean Power Plan'--takes already burdensome federal regulations a step further by driving up energy costs, stagnating job growth, threatening the reliability of our electric grid and treading all over the State of Texas' sovereignty," said Governor Abbott. "With seemingly no concept of what it costs to support a family, start a business or save for retirement, the federal government has yet again proven its readiness to sacrifice American jobs in the name of expanding bureaucratic authority and pushing its liberal agenda. I applaud the Attorney General's challenge to the Clean Power Plan and offer my full support for all efforts to fight federal government overreach."

On Free Trade: Expand Texas' long-standing trade partnership with Mexico

Texas exports more goods than any other US state, and Mexico is our top trade partner by far. In 2014, Texas exported more than $100 billion in machinery, technology and other commodities to Mexico, about 35% of the state's total exports. These exports sustain thousands of businesses in Texas and more than 1.1 million jobs. We also imported more than $90 billion of goods from our southern neighbor last year.

I now look forward to continuing our dialogue, to cultivate an even stronger bond and create more opportunities to expand trade.