Abbott 2014–2026

What he promised

Place five Texas public universities among the nation’s top ten in the U.S. News rankings.

What happened

In the 2018 edition, no Texas public university made the top ten.

What he promised

Tie a share of public two- and four-year college funding to outcomes such as graduation and employment.

What happened

Community colleges already had a performance formula before he took office. The broader reform did not pass in 2015 or 2017.

What he promised

Award credit at public colleges for Advanced Placement exam scores of 3 or higher.

What happened

HB 1992 (2015) set 3 as the general threshold for institutions awarding AP credit, with an evidence-based exception.

What he promised

End the CSCOPE curriculum system and prevent adoption of the Common Core standards.

What happened

The state ban on adopting Common Core dated to 2013, before his term; a successor to CSCOPE remained available in 2018. The review found the pledge stalled.

What he promised

Offer morning or evening block schedules for two-year associate degree programs.

What happened

HB 1583 (2015) required each community college to offer block schedules in at least five programs rather than all programs.

What he promised

Remove the three-course cap and let students take virtual courses even when their school offers them in person.

What happened

SB 894 advanced in committee in 2015 but never reached the full Senate. The 2018 review found the proposed change had not passed.

What he promised

Publish each school's capacity and actual enrollment.

What happened

HB 1796 and SB 1011 did not clear committee in 2015. The 2018 review found no equivalent measure had passed.

What he promised

Reduce the pressure on teachers to prepare students for so many standardized tests.

What happened

The length and use of tests changed, but the 2018 review found no overall reduction in required exams.

What he promised

Fund optional advanced training for principals and other school leaders.

What happened

In 2017, the state education agency launched initiatives using more than $17 million in state and federal funds to train over 800 school leaders.

What he promised

Require some public universities to accept credits earned at community colleges.

What happened

SB 1189 (2015) created a pathway with transfer planning. It did not guarantee that every individual credit would transfer.

What he promised

Reform the 2001 law that made some undocumented students eligible for in-state tuition; he said he would not veto its repeal.

What happened

No legislative reform or repeal passed in 2015 or 2017. In 2025, during a later term, a federal judge blocked enforcement of the law.

What he promised

Extend CHIP Perinatal postpartum visits from 60 days to up to a year and add $3 million over two years.

What happened

Healthy Texas Women and 2017 measures added services or data collection, but the specific CHIP Perinatal extension did not pass.

What he promised

Allow school districts to opt out of certain state requirements.

What happened

HB 1842 (2015) created districts of innovation, which can obtain exemptions from certain education rules.

What he promised

Require elected officials to report more about their income and their own or relatives’ public contracts.

What happened

Abbott signed HB 501 in 2017. It expanded disclosure requirements beginning in January 2019, with thresholds and conditions.

What he promised

Put another $50 million a year toward preventive care, including cancer screenings, for low-income women.

What happened

The 2016–17 budget passed in 2015 directed an additional $50 million a year to women’s preventive and health services.

What he promised

Assess pre-K learning at the start and end of the school year.

What happened

HB 4 (2015) required grant-funded programs to measure progress. It allowed diagnostic tests without requiring two assessments a year.

What he promised

Create a state district to take over up to 15 elementary or charter schools with two consecutive F ratings.

What happened

HB 1842 (2015) set new deadlines and intervention options for struggling schools; it did not establish the promised state district.

What he promised

Seek federal Medicaid funding for Texas through a block grant.

What happened

The April 2016 review found no evidence Abbott had requested a block grant as governor. Medicaid continued under the existing federal model.

What he promised

Raise state support for Teach For America from $12 million to $15 million per biennium.

What happened

The 2015 Legislature kept the program’s 2016–17 funding at $12 million.

What he promised

Give each school an A–F grade and publish a campus report card.

What happened

HB 2804 (2015) authorized campus grades. HB 22 (2017) revised the system and moved individual campus grades to 2019.

What he promised

Amend the constitution to bar counting dedicated funds when certifying that the budget balances.

What happened

Some dedicated balances were reduced by statute in 2015, but constitutional amendment HJR 111 stalled in Senate committee.

What he promised

Use a constitutional amendment to limit spending growth to inflation plus population growth.

What happened

The constitutional amendment did not advance in 2015. SB 9, a statutory proposal, also did not pass that session.

What he promised

Let a majority of parents petition for state intervention after two years of poor results.

What happened

SB 14 did not pass in 2015. HB 1842 gave parents input into turnaround plans without creating the promised petition right.

What he promised

Prevent state agencies from selling personal information without explicit consent.

What happened

The 2015 bills requiring consent before the sale of personal data did not pass.

What he promised

Provide $1,500 more per student to half-day programs that met quality standards.

What happened

HB 4 created the grants in 2015 with a $1,500 cap per eligible child. The Texas Education Agency documented payments of $734 per eligible child to 573 districts and charter schools.

What he promised

Spend $15 million a year on academies training fourth- and fifth-grade teachers in reading instruction.

What happened

SB 972 (2015) created the academies. The initial budget provided $11 million over two years, below the promised annual amount.

What he promised

Fund a $2 million pilot in which teams would coach classroom teachers at schools struggling with third-grade reading.

What happened

SB 935 (2015) created reading support teams, and the 2016–17 budget provided $3.7 million for implementation.

What he promised

Create four- to five-day academies to train teachers in math instruction.

What happened

SB 934 (2015) created the academies. The 2016–17 budget directed about $22 million to four-day training for K–3 teachers.

What he promised

Bring back and expand literacy academies for elementary teachers.

What happened

SB 925 (2015) established academies for K–3 teachers. The 2016–17 budget directed $17.8 million to them.

What he promised

Allow campus handgun carry and leave the final decision to each institution.

What happened

SB 11 (2015) authorized licensed concealed carry. Private institutions could opt out, but public institutions could not impose a campus-wide ban.

What he promised

Sign a bill allowing the open carry of handguns.

What happened

Abbott signed HB 910 in 2015, allowing license holders to openly carry a holstered handgun starting in 2016.

What he promised

Bar lawmakers and statewide elected officials with law licenses from collecting fees for referring cases.

What happened

In 2015, the ban was narrowed to a disclosure provision in a proposal that did not pass. The 2017 review found no further progress.

What he promised

Require regular campaign finance reports every three months instead of every six.

What happened

The quarterly filing requirement did not pass in the 2015 session.

What he promised

Restrict lawmakers from voting on measures that would financially benefit them through contracts or other arrangements.

What happened

The proposed restriction did not pass in 2015. The later ethics review found that it had not passed in 2017 either.

What he promised

Bar spending contributions above $5,000 received in the final 30 days before disclosing them.

What happened

The proposal did not receive a vote or become law in 2015.

What he promised

Pass a law barring use of state personnel or resources to implement or enforce the Affordable Care Act.

What happened

SB 1112 was referred to committee in 2015 and went no further. The available assessment left the pledge as stalled.

What he promised

Prohibit Texas by law from setting up a state Affordable Care Act insurance marketplace.

What happened

Texas continued to use the federal marketplace, but the specific state prohibition did not pass in 2015.

What he promised

Let voters petition for a local referendum to repeal red-light camera ordinances.

What happened

HB 1710 (2015), which would have created the petition process, did not pass. A separate statewide ban passed in 2019, with exceptions for existing contracts.

What he promised

Bar school districts from spending public funds on outside lobbyists.

What happened

HB 3219 did not clear committee in 2015. The available assessment rated the pledge as stalled.

What he promised

Limit the Rainy Day Fund by constitutional amendment to budget shortfalls, debt, one-time infrastructure projects or declared disasters.

What happened

The proposed constitutional amendment did not reach the ballot in 2015.

What he promised

Raise the threshold to exceed the constitutional spending cap from a simple majority to two-thirds in each chamber.

What happened

SJR 2 advanced in committee in 2015, but the proposal did not reach the ballot. The available assessment rated it as stalled.

What he promised

Amend the constitution to let the governor reduce a budget line item rather than veto it in full.

What happened

HJR 103 remained in committee in 2015. The available assessment rated the pledge as stalled.

What he promised

Fund more roads without raising taxes, fees or tolls.

What happened

Proposition 7 (2015) directed a share of existing taxes to the State Highway Fund, reserving those funds for non-tolled roads and other specified uses.

What he promised

Do not raise state taxes to fund his programs.

What happened

The archive assessment documented his push for tax cuts in early 2015. That review did not verify the pledge across the full term.

What he promised

Reduce property taxes for homeowners.

What happened

SB 1 and Proposition 1 (2015) raised the school property tax homestead exemption from $15,000 to $25,000. They did not guarantee lower bills for every household.

What he promised

Raise Texas Competitive Knowledge Fund appropriations for university research from $160 million to $200 million.

What happened

In 2015 the Legislature replaced the fund rather than allocating $200 million to it. For 2016–17 it provided $147.1 million to the Texas Research University Fund and $117.1 million to the Core Research Support Fund.

What he promised

Award ten grants for blended learning at an annual cost of $8 million.

What happened

The archive recorded the proposal without an assessment confirming these ten grants.

What he promised

Provide roughly $363 million for the state to cover tuition costs universities absorbed under the Hazlewood exemptions.

What happened

The state comptroller reports $53.1 million for colleges in 2016–17: $23.1 million from the fund and $30 million in general revenue. It did not cover the full cost.

What he promised

Grant college credit for online courses on the edX platform.

What happened

The archive recorded the proposal but did not verify that this route to college credit was approved.

What he promised

Make Texas the top-ranked state for school education.

What happened

The pledge did not specify a measure for first place. The archive did not rate it.

What he promised

Allocate $100 million per biennium in technology grants for schools rated D or F.

What happened

The archive recorded the proposed amount without assessing whether it passed.

What he promised

Spend $7.6 million on free online tutoring for required end-of-course exams.

What happened

The archive recorded the proposal without verifying funding or implementation.

What he promised

Offer state aid to districts that hired specialists to train their teachers in digital instruction.

What happened

SB 1822 of 2015, a bill on blended learning training grants, stayed in committee. The archive did not verify whether the proposed aid was implemented another way.

What he promised

End diversions from the State Highway Fund to other uses.

What happened

The 2015 budget ended the diversions and freed up about $1.3 billion for transportation in 2016–17. Voters also approved Proposition 7 that year to direct existing revenue to roads.

What he promised

Add 500 state DPS troopers assigned to the border region over four years.

What happened

Texas funded the first 250 positions in 2015. DPS documented all 500 positions filled and deployed in July 2019, six months after the first term ended.

What he promised

Coordinate comprehensive care for child sex trafficking survivors, supported by up to $2 million a year in state general revenue.

What happened

In 2015, HB 10 and HB 1446 laid the groundwork for the statewide team. Lawmakers allocated $5.7 million per biennium for all of its functions, which included coordinating care; that figure was not solely for direct services.

What he promised

Fund crime lab testing of sexual assault evidence.

What happened

In 2017 the budget authorized $4.219 million for testing backlogged kits. Funding the tests did not immediately eliminate the backlog.

What he promised

Increase by 100 per year the number of newly certified sexual assault nurse examiners.

What happened

Abbott requested $500,000 in his proposed 2016–17 budget. Texas operates the certification program, but the sources reviewed do not establish an increase of 100 new certifications per year during his first term.

What he promised

Raise ordinary kidnapping of a child from a third-degree to a first-degree felony.

What happened

Penal Code §20.03 retained third-degree classification for ordinary kidnapping. Aggravated kidnapping, already covered separately, can be a first-degree felony.

What he promised

Create local teams of law enforcement, medical professionals and victim advocates to intervene in high-risk domestic violence cases.

What happened

HB 3327 created a grant program for local teams in 2015. The Attorney General documented the program in its 2016 annual report.

What he promised

Establish civil liability for sharing intimate images without consent.

What happened

SB 1135 established a civil claim for certain disclosures of intimate images without consent in 2015 and created a separate criminal offense.

What he promised

Allow open-enrollment public charter schools to commission peace officers.

What happened

Texas did not enact the authority during his first term. SB 372 granted it in June 2019, during his second term.

What he promised

Remove invasive Carrizo cane along the Rio Grande through a coordinated program with landowner consent.

What happened

SB 1734 established the program in 2015 and required landowner consent for work on private property. It received funding in the 2018–19 budget; launching the program did not establish eradication across the riverbank.

What he promised

Increase resources for the Border Prosecution Unit to support county prosecutors.

What happened

In 2015 Abbott signed legislation that increased resources for the unit and established a coordination framework for border prosecutors.

What he promised

Extend Houston’s anti-gang task force model to Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Corpus Christi and Weslaco.

What happened

In 2015 Texas awarded $1.2 million for a Dallas–Fort Worth regional center and work began in Weslaco. Later state records show a regional network without establishing a center in every named city during the first term.

What he promised

Require all state agencies to use E-Verify to confirm that new hires are authorized to work.

What happened

Abbott signed SB 374 in June 2015. It requires state agencies to use E-Verify for new hires.

What he promised

Require local taxing entities to publish their financial statements and vendor contracts.

What happened

HB 1378 in 2015 required public reporting of local debt and provided alternate reporting options. It did not require broad publication of vendor contracts.

What he promised

Put existing and proposed debt, debt-service costs and per-person estimates on state and local bond ballots.

What happened

HB 1378 addressed debt reports in 2015 without requiring the proposed ballot format. The 86th Legislature expanded disclosure for local debt elections in 2019, during his second term.

What he promised

Recognize a private property right in one’s own DNA.

What happened

SB 475 did not become law in 2015. In 2023, during his third term, HB 2545 recognized narrower rights covering samples and results from direct-to-consumer genetic testing.

What he promised

Bar lawmakers, including the lieutenant governor and House speaker, from serving as bond counsel for public entities.

What happened

The 2015 ethics overhaul addressing the activity failed. In 2017, HB 501 required lawmakers to disclose that work but did not ban it.

What he promised

Give citizens outside the Legislature a majority of the seats on the commission that reviews state agencies.

What happened

The Government Code retained 10 legislative seats and two public seats on the Sunset Advisory Commission.

What he promised

Change the agency review commission’s statutory mission to prioritize abolishing or consolidating agencies and cutting costs.

What happened

The law continued to require recommendations on abolition, continuation, reorganization and operational improvements. It did not establish the campaign’s priority of abolishing agencies and reducing appropriations.

What he promised

Repeal the duty to try to relocate state employees displaced when an agency closes or reorganizes.

What happened

The requirement to make a reasonable effort to relocate displaced employees remained in Government Code §325.020.

What he promised

Amend the constitution to prevent the state from imposing new costs on local governments without providing funding.

What happened

HJR 31 in 2017 advanced out of committee but did not become a constitutional amendment.

What he promised

Expand GPS monitoring to alleged abusers a judge considers high risk at a bail hearing or under a protective order.

What happened

Article 17.49 already allowed GPS monitoring as a bail condition in 2009. A first-term expansion matching the proposal’s scope was not verified.

What he promised

Require sex offenders to register before release and fully automate data sharing across agencies.

What happened

A prerelease notification process already existed and the code allows registration deadlines after arrival in a municipality. The documented 2015 changes do not establish full automation or a new universal prerelease registration requirement.

What he promised

Provide free active shooter response training to school marshals and district, university and charter school police.

What happened

HB 2684 established training for school district officers in 2015 and ALERRT generally offered no-cost courses. Free coverage for all listed groups was not verified in the first term.

What he promised

Create an Attorney General’s Office program to teach faculty, staff and administrators how to respond to a school shooting.

What happened

HB 2684 established training for school district officers. That law does not establish that the Attorney General created the specific program for school staff.

What he promised

Share cartel and gang intelligence across Texas agencies, other border states and the federal government.

What happened

HB 11 created a transnational intelligence center in 2015 to share information among Texas agencies. The law does not establish integration with all other border states and federal agencies.

What he promised

Immediately deploy four to six NOVA crisis counselors to support the Santa Fe community.

What happened

The May 30 plan reported that the rotating team was already in Santa Fe providing psychological first aid and trauma support.

What he promised

Fund HHSC to coordinate the long-term mental health response using the federal disaster response model.

What happened

The Texas House documented coordination with the local mental health provider. The records reviewed do not detail HHSC's long-term use of the specific federal model.

What he promised

Provide psychological support and a respite site for police and other first responders with Sam Houston State University.

What happened

The plan reported that the university had already opened an off-site respite and psychological first aid location. It also announced follow-up seminars.

What he promised

Fund four contract counselors at the Region 4 education service center for Santa Fe and surrounding districts.

What happened

A Texas House report confirmed that Region 4 received the federal crime victims grant allocated in the plan to hire four counselors.

What he promised

Fund four to six counselors with advanced crisis training for Santa Fe ISD in the 2018–19 school year.

What happened

The governor's office announced funding for this purpose, and Santa Fe ISD received federal recovery funds. The records reviewed do not confirm how many counselors worked that year.

What he promised

Put Gulf Coast Center in charge of post-crisis community care, including counseling, care plans and referrals.

What happened

Gulf Coast Center took on community support through the Santa Fe resiliency center; the Texas House report also confirms coordination by the local provider.

What he promised

Secure $1 million in federal Project SERV recovery aid for Santa Fe ISD.

What happened

The U.S. Department of Education records a $1 million Project SERV award to Santa Fe ISD.

What he promised

Promote school–local police partnerships to add campuses to patrol routes and make work space available on-site.

What happened

In 2019, DPS reported that 162 schools gave work space to 265 state troopers. SB 11 required consultations with local police, and SB 1707 authorized school resource officer agreements.

What he promised

Prioritize retired and off-duty police and create tailored training for military veterans to become school marshals.

What happened

Texas expanded armed staffing options and maintains a general school marshal program. A statewide hiring preference and a dedicated veteran training pathway were not verified.

What he promised

Fund school marshal training in summer 2018 and ask districts to identify candidates.

What happened

TEA issued guidance in June. In August 2018, the state reported 92 additional marshals appointed and 73 candidates in training.

What he promised

Increase the number of school marshals a campus can appoint.

What happened

HB 1374 in 2019 went further than the proposed increase: it removed the statewide per-campus cap.

What he promised

Let school marshals in direct contact with students carry their gun on their person without a locked-storage requirement.

What happened

Section 37.0811 lets districts authorize a school marshal to carry a handgun and does not distinguish based on direct student contact.

What he promised

Rework school marshal training to devote more time to firearms and active-shooter response.

What happened

TCOLE still lists an 80-hour course covering those skills. A change in the allocation of hours compared with the pre-plan course was not verified.

What he promised

Require school marshals to take refresher training every year.

What happened

Rule 227.7 ties renewal training to a two-year cycle. It does not set an annual renewal course.

What he promised

Improve the readiness of campus security staff to respond to active shooters.

What happened

HB 2195 in 2019 required training for district police and school resource officers. SB 11 allowed safety allotment funds to pay for that training.

What he promised

Have the Texas School Safety Center run hands-on workshops for writing and applying emergency plans.

What happened

The 2019 state report recorded 17 safety planning workshops since June 2018 with more than 600 participants.

What he promised

Partner with I Love U Guys to train school staff on standard response and reunification protocols.

What happened

The 2019 report counted eight trainings using the foundation's protocols and 603 school employees trained.

What he promised

Improve school design and infrastructure with safety standards for new and existing facilities.

What happened

SB 11 required safety design and retrofit standards. The 2019 budget authorized $100 million for school safety infrastructure improvements.

What he promised

Have TEA guide districts to prioritize $62.1 million in available federal funds for immediate safety improvements.

What happened

In June 2018, TEA issued district guidance on school safety uses for those funds. The figure described available funding and does not establish how much districts spent.

What he promised

Establish state review of school district and charter school safety audits.

What happened

SB 11 gave the School Safety Center review and TEA notification duties; 2023 HB 3 strengthened TEA's oversight and direct reviews.

What he promised

Specify who must serve on district and charter school safety committees.

What happened

SB 11 set minimum membership, including emergency officials, police, school officials, teachers and parents, and brought charter schools into the safety framework.

What he promised

Require safety committees to consult local law enforcement about expanding police presence near campuses.

What happened

SB 11 added this consultation to the duties of district safety committees.

What he promised

Require each school safety committee to meet at least three times a year.

What happened

SB 11 required one meeting in each academic semester and one during summer.

What he promised

Require the school safety committee to give the school board periodic updates on district preparedness.

What happened

SB 11 provided for school board updates on emergency planning and an opportunity for public comment.

What he promised

Require schools to notify parents about significant threats to student safety.

What happened

SB 11 required notices for bomb or terrorist threats and immediate notification protocols. 2023 HB 3 added notices about violent activity at district facilities or events.

What he promised

Expand Texas Tech’s TWITR telemedicine program to assess and support students at risk.

What happened

The 2020–21 state budget allocated $5 million to TWITR. SB 11 also created a state consortium to expand child telemedicine.

What he promised

Expand mental health first aid training for school staff in summer 2018.

What happened

The state reported 1,705 public school employees trained in June and July 2018, 90% more than in the same period in 2017.

What he promised

Have the School Safety Center partner with SIGMA to train staff in behavioral threat assessment.

What happened

The center and SIGMA held three 2018 workshops for 219 participants. SB 11 established school threat assessment teams.

What he promised

Free up school counselors’ time to support students’ mental and behavioral health.

What happened

SB 179 in 2021 generally required districts to reserve at least 80% of counselors’ work time for the school counseling program.

What he promised

Encourage districts to hire more campus counselors and provide funds to address staffing gaps.

What happened

HB 3 and SB 11 in 2019 provided funding that could support counselors and mental health services. The plan proposed funding and encouraging hiring; it did not set a staffing target.

What he promised

Expand Crime Stoppers to cover school crime and promote reporting among students and staff.

What happened

HB 3316 in 2019 expanded the state council's remit to school crimes and threats. The Safe School Institute offers statewide outreach and training.

What he promised

Launch a standalone iWatchTexas app for reporting threats, including those affecting schools.

What happened

DPS launched the app in June 2018 and enabled school safety reporting.

What he promised

Add text and email threat reporting to iWatchTexas.

What happened

In March 2026 DPS listed three reporting channels: app, web and telephone. It did not include SMS or email as reporting channels.

What he promised

Protect the identity of people who report threats through iWatchTexas in state law.

What happened

HB 3 in 2023 made iWatchTexas reports confidential and exempt from disclosure under the state public information law.

What he promised

Promote iWatchTexas to districts, students, families and school staff.

What happened

DPS published materials for schools and documented school district outreach through its School Safety Network.

What he promised

Train DPS staff to assess tips and refer them to schools, law enforcement, or health and protection services as appropriate.

What happened

DPS documents review by trained analysts and routing to school safety users or regional centers. It does not detail all the proposed health and social service referrals.

What he promised

Add at least two regional law enforcement coordination centers to assess threats, including those on social media.

What happened

The state recognized the Fort Worth center in 2019. The later DPS network lists eight centers total, including the state center; the 2018 plan started from six regional centers plus the state center.

What he promised

Expand the CISM network with mental health professionals who can respond to school crises and directly serve victims and families.

What happened

HHSC documented new training, coordination and team expansion efforts. CISM's program sheet still mainly describes first responder support; the full proposed expansion was not verified.

What he promised

Apply district emergency planning, audit and safety committee requirements to public charter schools.

What happened

SB 11 in 2019 brought public charter schools under those safety requirements.

What he promised

Allow public charter schools to hire security staff and commission peace officers as districts can.

What happened

SB 372 in 2019 authorized charter schools to hire security personnel and commission peace officers.

What he promised

Require removal from class for injury, threats of serious injury and certain offensive physical contact against school staff.

What happened

SB 2432 in 2019 added harassment of school staff, including threats, as grounds for alternative placement. State law treats assault causing injury differently from other contact; it did not adopt all three triggers in the same way.

What he promised

Expand expulsion or alternative placement grounds to stalking, animal cruelty, weapons felonies and organized crime.

What happened

Texas covers certain weapons conduct, stalking in threat assessment, and some categories of felonies. Section 37.0081 does not adopt the four proposed groups as independent grounds at the proposed scope.

What he promised

Use restorative practices in alternative education, including family engagement, counseling and mental health assessment.

What happened

HB 2184 in 2019 required an individualized plan for returning to the regular classroom. That measure does not establish comprehensive assessment and support during alternative placement.

What he promised

Create a statewide uniform court records system to speed magistrate access and reporting for background checks.

What happened

The Legislature funded the effort in 2019, and the Office of Court Administration contracted for the uniform system in 2021. It is available to local clerks on an opt-in basis.

What he promised

Ask legislative leaders to study temporary firearm removal orders for severe risk, with due process.

What happened

The lieutenant governor included the issue in a formal Senate interim charge in June 2018. The commitment was to request a study.

What he promised

Require relevant mental health adjudications, family violence convictions and protective orders to be reported within 48 hours.

What happened

The Government Code retains a deadline of up to 30 days for court reports on certain mental health determinations. A uniform 48-hour deadline was not established across all three categories.

What he promised

Extend the safe firearm storage law to everyone under 18, including 17-year-olds.

What happened

Penal Code § 46.13 still defines a child for this law as someone younger than 17.

What he promised

Apply the safe firearm storage law to both loaded and unloaded guns.

What happened

Section 46.13 retains the requirement that the gun be loaded, whether or not a round is chambered.

What he promised

Make the storage violation a third-degree felony when it results in death or serious injury.

What happened

Section 46.13 still classifies that outcome as a Class A misdemeanor.

What he promised

Promote voluntary use of firearm locks and other safe storage devices.

What happened

DPS's statewide campaign promotes safe storage and provides specific materials on cable locks and other devices.

What he promised

Increase awareness of safe storage duties and how to prevent children from accessing firearms.

What happened

DPS launched a statewide campaign with educational materials on safe storage. That does not establish that all channels suggested in the plan were used.

What he promised

Require private owners to report lost or stolen firearms to the sheriff within 10 days.

What happened

The Texas State Law Library confirms that state law does not require private owners to report a lost or stolen gun.

What he promised

Cap annual local property tax revenue growth at 2.5% without voter approval.

What happened

SB 2 in 2019 lowered the threshold from 8% to 3.5% for many cities and counties. HB 3 used 2.5% in the school formula. A later 2.5% proposal for local governments did not become law in 2025.

What he promised

Exclude new taxable value, such as new construction and certain improvements, from the cap in the year it enters the tax rolls.

What happened

The enacted formula retained the exclusion for new taxable value, including new construction and certain properties that lose exemptions. The exclusion predated the plan.

What he promised

Allow above-cap growth only for emergency staff or teacher pay and critical infrastructure, with a ceiling tied to statewide population growth and inflation.

What happened

SB 2 established a voter approval mechanism and specified tax rate adjustments. It did not limit all approved increases to the plan's purposes or population-plus-inflation ceiling.

What he promised

Require two-thirds approval from both the local governing body and voters to exceed the cap.

What happened

SB 2 requires elections when the relevant threshold is exceeded in qualifying cases. The public vote is decided by majority, and the law did not establish the proposed two-thirds requirement at both steps.

What he promised

Allow unused revenue capacity to carry forward between years to cushion declines in property value.

What happened

SB 2 allowed unused growth capacity to carry forward from up to three prior years. The enacted formula is not limited to downturns.

What he promised

Increase state funding so property-poor districts do not lose resources if recapture transfers decline.

What happened

HB 3 in 2019 increased state support through the school finance formula and reduced projected recapture. It reworked the formula rather than making district-by-district reimbursements.

What he promised

Prohibit the Legislature from imposing new duties on local governments without providing funding.

What happened

A general ban did not take effect. HJR 123 in 2023 proposed restricting such mandates on cities and counties by constitutional amendment and did not pass.

What he promised

Require all appraisal district directors to be locally elected officials.

What happened

SB 2 in 2023 created three directly elected seats in counties with at least 75,000 people, but retained five appointed seats on those boards.

What he promised

Bar taxing-unit employees from serving in appraisal districts or appraisal review boards.

What happened

SB 2 in 2019 barred appraisal district employment of officers and employees of participating taxing units. The code retains exceptions for board roles, so the prohibition is not absolute.

What he promised

Create a property tax administration advisory board under the comptroller.

What happened

SB 2 in 2019 directed the comptroller to appoint the board and tasked it with recommending improvements and complaint procedures.

What he promised

Require at least eight hours of initial training and four hours of continuing education for review board members.

What happened

Tax Code § 5.041 sets both minimums and allows classroom or distance training.

What he promised

Have the comptroller approve arbitrator training emphasizing equal and uniform appraisal, with online access.

What happened

SB 2 in 2019 assigned the comptroller responsibility for curricula and public materials, and the comptroller offers arbitrator training online.

What he promised

Create a survey for appraisal review participants to give feedback to the comptroller.

What happened

SB 2 in 2019 established the survey and required the comptroller to produce an annual report of responses.

What he promised

Transfer selection of the review board chair and secretary to the local administrative judge.

What happened

Current law assigns the decision to the appointing authority: the administrative judge in counties below 75,000 people and the appraisal district board in the others.

What he promised

Prevent an appraisal review board from independently raising a property's assessed value in response to a protest.

What happened

SB 2 in 2019 barred boards from raising the recorded value unless the owner requested and agreed to it.

What he promised

Allow multiple protests filed by the same owner or agent to be heard consecutively.

What happened

SB 2 in 2019 authorized appraisal review boards to schedule those hearings consecutively.

What he promised

Raise the general property value limit for binding arbitration from $3 million to $5 million.

What happened

SB 731 had already raised the cap to $5 million in September 2017, before the plan appeared. The rule remains in effect, and qualifying residence homesteads have no value cap.

What he promised

Set the upper-tier arbitration deposit at $1,250 for properties that are not residence homesteads.

What happened

The Tax Code uses tiers and requires $1,550 for non-homestead property valued above $3 million through $5 million.

What he promised

Cap an arbitrator's fee at $1,200 in the highest tier.

What happened

The Tax Code caps the highest-tier fee at $1,500 for certain non-homestead properties.

What he promised

Create a comptroller-run statewide property lookup with rates, proposed levies and hearing details.

What happened

SB 2 required local public databases with property-level estimates and hearing information. The state portal points to county records, which are maintained by appraisal districts.

What he promised

Show existing and proposed debt, debt service and per-capita amounts on each local debt ballot.

What happened

HB 477 in 2019 required more ballot information and, for certain entities, a separate document with principal and interest. It did not put all per-capita figures on every ballot.

What he promised

Limit tax-backed bonds to specified purposes disclosed to voters instead of a general authorization for public purposes.

What happened

HB 477 required a general description of purposes in debt propositions. That disclosure rule is not a general ban on issuing for any public purpose.

What he promised

Limit certificates of obligation to infrastructure tied to natural disasters.

What happened

HB 4082 in 2023 narrowed permitted uses, but retained uses beyond repairing infrastructure after natural disasters.

What he promised

Require a two-thirds majority of voters to approve new local debt in bond elections.

What happened

Education Code § 45.003 still allows school bonds to pass by a simple majority of those voting; a general two-thirds threshold was not adopted.

What he promised

Set a minimum turnout for approving local debt; the plan proposed 33% for school bonds as an example.

What happened

The school bond statute requires a majority of votes cast and does not set the example's turnout threshold.

What he promised

Create a Texas Rangers Public Integrity Unit channel for reporting sex offenses by certain state officials and Capitol employees.

What happened

The Government Code still assigns that unit offenses against public administration and offenses arising from that conduct. It did not add the proposed general channel for sex offenses.

What he promised

Remove community supervision options for promotion and aggravated promotion of prostitution so confinement would be required.

What happened

HB 2758 in 2019 restricted community supervision for aggravated promotion and compelling prostitution, with an exception for victims. Simple promotion did not receive the same blanket restriction.

What he promised

Require sex offender registration for promotion or aggravated promotion of prostitution.

What happened

SB 20 brought specified new online promotion offenses involving minors into the registration system. It did not generally extend registration to every proposed case.

What he promised

Explicitly add involuntary drug use or intoxication to the definition of compelling prostitution.

What happened

Section 43.05 retains force, threat, or fraud and does not expressly add involuntary intoxication.

What he promised

Let trafficking victims forced into prostitution petition to set aside convictions and expunge their records.

What happened

SB 20 in 2019 extended access to nondisclosure orders to victims of compelling prostitution, subject to requirements. A nondisclosure order does not set aside a conviction or erase the record.

What he promised

Treat kidnapping any child under 18 as aggravated kidnapping, generally a first-degree felony.

What happened

The Penal Code still classifies ordinary kidnapping as a third-degree felony and does not make all kidnapping aggravated based on the victim’s age.

What he promised

Make inducing or authorizing a sexual performance by any child under 18 a first-degree felony.

What happened

Section 43.25 retains the second-degree rule and reserves the first degree for victims under 14 in the specified offense.

What he promised

Raise possession or promotion of child sexual abuse material to a second-degree felony and the first repeat offense to first degree.

What happened

After the 2025 overhaul, possession remains a third-degree felony as the general rule and second-degree with one prior conviction. Other circumstances, such as the number or content of images, can carry higher penalties.

What he promised

Make it an offense for certain registered sex offenders to share a vehicle with an unrelated child.

What happened

Enactment of a statewide offense of this scope could not be documented.

What he promised

Raise the minimum employment age at sexually oriented businesses from 18 to 21.

What happened

SB 315 in 2021 prohibited hiring or contracting with people under 21 at these businesses.

What he promised

Bar children under 18 from sexually oriented businesses and treat allowing entry as a public nuisance.

What happened

SB 315 added the presence of people under 18 in these businesses to public nuisance law and added penalties for premises licensed to sell alcohol.

What he promised

Use part of a $22 million package to create trafficking squads in the six DPS criminal investigation regions.

What happened

The 2020–21 budget allocated $5 million to regional squads and $7.03 million to human and child sex trafficking investigative squads. Regional work was funded at a different level from the announced package.

What he promised

Expand law enforcement training through Interdiction for the Protection of Children with additional DPS staff and resources.

What happened

The proposal described expansion of the existing program. The additional staffing specified in the plan could not be verified.

What he promised

Require all state employees to view the attorney general’s trafficking prevention materials.

What happened

The Military Department provides the training, and DFPS reported 23,289 staff had completed Be the One by February 2023. That documentation does not establish a requirement across all state agencies.

What he promised

Fund GPS monitoring of high-risk defendants in domestic violence, trafficking, and repeat sex offenses.

What happened

Texas established a grant program in 2021 to cover GPS costs in family violence cases. That grant authority does not itself cover the plan’s other proposed cases.

What he promised

Create a register of staff barred from school employment for specified offenses or misconduct involving students.

What happened

HB 3 in 2019 established the registry, and the Texas Education Agency maintains a search tool for hiring checks.

What he promised

Authorize temporary suspension of teaching certificates after a sex offense charge and set rules for paid leave.

What happened

The Education Code provides sanctions and suspension in various circumstances. The full proposed mechanism involving paid leave and repayment could not be documented.

What he promised

Create a secure portal for school officials to report improper relationships between employees and students.

What happened

After HB 3 in 2019, the Texas Education Agency launched a portal for reporting misconduct.

What he promised

Strengthen violence and abuse prevention training for all school employees and contractors working with students.

What happened

The Texas Education Agency requires training for employees covered by law. Coverage of all the contractors and topics named in the proposal could not be verified.

What he promised

Open anti-gang centers in Waco and Tyler and increase funding for the centers by $10 million for the biennium.

What happened

The 2019–20 state report listed both centers and documented $7.1 million annually for the eight-center network. It does not establish the proposed $10 million funding increase.

What he promised

Revoke service pensions for corrections officers convicted of collaborating with organized crime in prison.

What happened

SB 1570 in 2019 barred service annuities for specified felonies, including organized criminal activity arising from the job. It provided for a return of contributions.

What he promised

Bar corrections officers convicted of collaborating with gangs from serving again as corrections or peace officers.

What happened

SB 1570 documents the pension sanction. A specific ban covering both jobs on the proposed terms could not be verified.

What he promised

Transfer title of properties used to hold trafficking victims to charities when the owner was finally convicted.

What happened

HB 2613 in 2019 criminalized operating those properties and directed forfeiture proceeds to victim services. It did not require transferring title directly to a charity.

What he promised

Disallow deferred adjudication for serious trafficking and sexual assault offenses so offenders would serve time in custody.

What happened

HB 2758 in 2019 expanded restrictions on community supervision. Its wording retained distinctions by offense and specific circumstances rather than imposing confinement in all proposed cases.

What he promised

Allocate $865,000 for five online trafficking investigators at the attorney general’s office for 2020–21.

What happened

SB 20 in 2019 created online promotion offenses. Enacting those offenses does not establish that all five positions were filled.

What he promised

Create a $5 million program to supply law enforcement with naloxone to respond to opioid exposure.

What happened

SB 340 in 2019 created grants for opioid antagonists for law enforcement. The law did not specify the proposed $5 million allocation or universal distribution.

What he promised

Equip all 13 DPS labs with ion mobility spectrometry to detect synthetic opioids.

What happened

Delivery of the specified instrument to all 13 laboratories could not be documented.

What he promised

Provide grants for law enforcement to purchase rifle-resistant body armor.

What happened

The 2019–20 state report documents a grant program for those purchases by local law enforcement.

What he promised

Ban local adoption of red-light enforcement cameras and preempt existing ordinances.

What happened

HB 1631 in 2019 banned new systems. The law let specified existing contracts continue until expiration.

What he promised

Require consideration of public safety and a defendant’s criminal history when setting bail.

What happened

SB 6, enacted in 2021, required consideration of community and victim safety alongside criminal history. The measure passed in the term’s second legislative cycle.

What he promised

Reserve bail decisions in felony and specified assault or sex offense cases for district judges or their associate judges.

What happened

SB 6 in 2021 required magistrate training and restricted which court can grant bail in certain cases involving defendants already on bail. It did not reserve all the specified offenses to district judges.

What he promised

Create a uniform statewide system to give magistrates quick access to relevant information for bail decisions.

What happened

SB 6 required the system. The Office of Court Administration implemented the Public Safety Report System in 2022 to provide relevant criminal history.

What he promised

Notify the agency supervising a defendant for a prior case before releasing the defendant on bail.

What happened

SB 6 in 2021 required electronic notice to the prior court in specified new felony cases when a defendant was already on bail. It did not broadly cover every proposed agency and form of supervision.

What he promised

Count each newly hired veteran as 1.2 jobs for state job-creation incentives.

What happened

In June 2018 the governor’s office adopted a different mechanism for new Texas Enterprise Fund grantees: $1,000 per veteran hired in the first year.

What he promised

Authorize a local reduction of $15,000 in a commercial property’s taxable value for each veteran hired full-time, subject to property limits.

What happened

State authorization for this commercial hiring exemption could not be verified.

What he promised

Let local governments exempt up to $30,000 of business property at veteran-owned firms in their first five years.

What happened

The proposed local option for a business property exemption could not be documented.

What he promised

Recognize equivalent out-of-state occupational licenses for veterans, military spouses, and veterans’ spouses.

What happened

SB 1200 in 2019 recognized equivalent licenses from another jurisdiction for military spouses, subject to conditions. The 2019 law did not extend the new mechanism to all the groups in the plan.

What he promised

Authorize a local commercial property tax exemption for entities providing veterans with low-cost housing or treatment.

What happened

The Veterans Commission offers housing and homelessness prevention grants. Authorization for the proposed commercial exemption could not be verified.

What he promised

Mobilize cities, veteran groups, and nonprofits to end veteran homelessness through shelter and long-term housing.

What happened

The Veterans Commission documents housing and prevention grants. Later federal counts still recorded veterans experiencing homelessness in Texas.

What he promised

Continue authorizing the state veterans’ mental health program and fund it with $10 million in the 2020–21 biennium.

What happened

The 2020–21 budget allocated $5 million per year to the program. The 2022 state report documented services delivered.

What he promised

Increase the Veterans Commission’s funding by $6.5 million per biennium to help with the federal claims backlog.

What happened

In its 2021–22 report the commission documented new claims offices from 2020 and over 51,000 appointments from November 2021. The full $6.5 million increase for that purpose was not verified.

What he promised

Seek a Texas model allowing veterans to use federal benefits with private providers, with a Rio Grande Valley pilot.

What happened

The federal department expanded community care nationwide in 2019 under the MISSION Act. The proposed Valley-specific pilot was not verified.

What he promised

Remove licensing barriers for interstate mental and behavioral telecare.

What happened

HB 1501 joined the interstate psychology compact in 2019. It enables telepsychology by professionals who meet the compact’s terms, with coverage limited to that profession.

What he promised

Double annual state civil legal aid grants for veterans from $1.5 million to $3 million in 2020–21.

What happened

The 2020–21 budget set aside $6 million for these services for veterans and their families, $3 million more than in 2018–19.

What he promised

Reward state-employed attorneys who provide free legal help to veterans with training credits and fee waivers.

What happened

The combined program of credits and fee waivers on the campaign’s terms could not be verified.

What he promised

Create a temporary governor’s committee to help Texas bases prepare for possible federal realignments or closures.

What happened

Abbott created the committee in September 2018. It subsequently issued recommendations to the governor.

What he promised

Drive recruitment to double the Texas State Guard to 5,000 members.

What happened

Near the end of the second term, a January 2023 official briefing reported an authorized strength of 1,925 and an assigned strength of 1,752.

What he promised

Enforce the 2017 state law restricting local sanctuary-city policies.

What happened

The attorney general processed complaints and sued San Antonio. In 2019, a judge dismissed some claims in that first enforcement case.

What he promised

Continue state border security operations.

What happened

Abbott and DPS launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021 to deploy state personnel and resources. That documents continued operations, without measuring their effectiveness here.

What he promised

Enact laws intended to prevent election fraud.

What happened

SB 1 in 2021 changed voting rules and created or increased penalties for election offenses. Enactment does not establish a reduction in fraud.

What he promised

Use the state’s Rainy Day Fund in the 2019 session to cover state spending on Harvey response.

What happened

The 2019 supplemental budget, SB 500, authorized spending from the reserve for state disaster costs and Harvey recovery.

What he promised

Support removing a Capitol plaque that falsely described the cause of the Civil War.

What happened

Abbott chaired the State Preservation Board when it voted unanimously to remove the plaque in January 2019. The plaque was removed.

What he promised

Leave a bill similar to the 2017 restrictions on transgender bathroom use off his 2019 agenda.

What happened

Abbott’s February 2019 address setting state priorities omitted that issue. His debate commitment concerned his agenda for that session.

What he promised

Waive local occupational licensing and registration fees for military family groups covered by the plan.

What happened

SB 1200 addressed recognition of state licenses for military spouses. A general waiver of local fees could not be confirmed.

What he promised

Create a Veterans Commission platform to connect businesses and nonprofits with homeless veterans in need of support.

What happened

The commission funded support services through grants. The proposed individual sponsorship platform could not be documented.

What he promised

Expand the veterans legal assistance project to refer cases to volunteer attorneys employed by state agencies.

What happened

The commission’s directory lists legal services for veterans. The specific referral pathway to attorneys employed by state agencies could not be verified.

What he promised

Maintain his opposition to Texas adopting federal Medicaid expansion.

What happened

Texas continued without adopting the Affordable Care Act eligibility expansion. KFF still classified Texas as a non-expansion state in October 2026.

What he promised

Raise pay for public school teachers.

What happened

HB 3 increased funding for salaries and benefits in 2019 and introduced teacher pay incentives.

What he promised

End the system that redistributes some local school tax revenue.

What happened

HB 3 changed the recapture formula in 2019. The Texas Education Agency was still calculating and settling recapture payments in May 2026.

What he promised

Put an additional $14 million toward eliminating the backlog of untested sexual assault kits.

What happened

HB 8 required an audit in 2019. By October 2025, DPS had finished testing 1,446 of the 1,488 older kits it had received for in-house analysis.

What he promised

Lower school districts’ property tax rates every year.

What happened

Texas lowered the statewide cap on the school operating tax rate from $0.6322 per $100 of value in 2025 to $0.6254 in 2026. This base rate is only part of each district’s total tax rate.

What he promised

Require a discount of up to 3% for paying property taxes in full before the deadline.

What happened

The Tax Code still allows each taxing unit to decide whether to offer early payment discounts.

What he promised

Let everyone pay property taxes in quarterly or semiannual installments without interest or penalties.

What happened

Split payments depend on the tax collector, and access to quarterly installments remains limited to groups and circumstances specified in law.

What he promised

Automatically reduce a home’s tax appraisal to its purchase price when the price is lower.

What happened

Market value remains the general rule. A sale price may be evidence in an appeal, but does not automatically replace the appraisal.

What he promised

Make appraisal methods transparent so homeowners can more easily challenge their valuations.

What happened

HB 1533 (2025) required publication of completed appraisal records in counties with at least 120,000 residents and revised protest rules. That publication rule does not cover every appraisal district.

What he promised

Exempt up to $100,000 in equipment and other business personal property for small businesses.

What happened

HB 9 and Proposition 9 raised the exemption to $125,000 per taxing unit for income-producing tangible personal property starting in January 2026.

What he promised

Require a two-thirds vote of the local governing body to incur any debt.

What happened

State law still permits cities and counties to authorize certificates of obligation by ordinance or order without imposing the proposed general two-thirds threshold.

What he promised

Require two-thirds voter approval for local bonds on ballots outside November.

What happened

The Education Code still sets a simple majority as the approval threshold for school district bonds.

What he promised

Enshrine in the state Constitution parents’ right to make decisions concerning their minor children and require due process before overriding those decisions.

What happened

Proposition 15 (2025) recognized the right to make decisions about children’s care, custody and upbringing. Its text did not include a specific due process clause.

What he promised

Give parents access to course outlines at the start of each semester and to instructional materials.

What happened

SB 12 (2025) requires schools to post semester syllabuses, give them to parents and guarantee their right to review instructional materials.

What he promised

Ensure parents’ complaints about curricula and school policies are heard promptly and respectfully.

What happened

Texas strengthened procedures for parental rights complaints. The procedures set steps and deadlines, but do not establish that every school resolves complaints promptly.

What he promised

Revoke credentials and retirement benefits and bar school employment for staff convicted of giving minors access to pornography.

What happened

HB 4520 (2023) extended certificate revocation to this offense. The Education Code bars hiring covered individuals; pension forfeiture requires a felony conviction with a student victim.

What he promised

Prevent schools from collecting unnecessary personal data and selling or sharing it outside the public school system.

What happened

The 2017 restrictions on online education service operators still permit certain disclosures. The code does not contain the broad ban proposed by the campaign.

What he promised

Publish families’ education rights online.

What happened

SB 12 requires districts to post the state parental rights form. SB 204 directed the TEA to produce and maintain a handbook explaining those rights.

What he promised

Require districts to inform families about charter schools, magnet schools and other public schools.

What happened

SB 12 requires districts to distribute the TEA form. It explains charter and out-of-district options, but does not mention magnet schools.

What he promised

Give families a permanent option from pre-K through 12th grade to repeat a grade or course.

What happened

HB 3803 (2023) expanded the right to request that a student repeat a grade or a high school course, subject to the limits and procedures in law.

What he promised

Create an option for families to use state funds for education outside their assigned public school.

What happened

SB 2 created education savings accounts in 2025. In August 2026, the Comptroller reported 101,600 students awarded funding and more than 100,000 waitlisted.

What he promised

Fully fund public education while expanding school choice.

What happened

HB 2 (2025) added $8.5 billion to public school funding, including teacher raises. The campaign gave no benchmark for what it would take to fully fund schools.

What he promised

Use at least half of the projected $27 billion surplus for property tax relief in 2023.

What happened

The 2023 package included $12.7 billion in new relief. The $18 billion headline included previously budgeted funding; the target based on the projection was at least $13.5 billion. After another vote in 2025, the school district homestead exemption reached $140,000.

What he promised

Eliminate school district property taxes, a goal announced without a deadline.

What happened

Rates were cut, but the TEA still published school operating tax rates for 2026. The tax remained in effect.

What he promised

Further reduce state taxes on businesses.

What happened

SB 3 (2023) raised the revenue threshold below which businesses owe no franchise tax. The cut benefits businesses within the new threshold.

What he promised

Support a new transmission line to strengthen the Rio Grande Valley’s power grid.

What happened

The AEP Texas and ETT plan calls for about 190 miles of lines and two substations. The PUC approved one segment in 2023; the operator’s plan does not confirm all five entered service.

What he promised

Designate school safety as an emergency item in the next legislative session.

What happened

Abbott declared it an emergency item in February 2023. The Legislature passed HB 3, setting new security rules and an armed security staffing requirement with exceptions.

What he promised

Oppose and veto any net increase in state taxes.

What happened

Texas enacted tax cuts. Checking the entire pledge requires a review of each tax measure’s fiscal impact and the relevant vetoes.

What he promised

Keep the ERCOT grid separate from the eastern and western U.S. regional grids.

What happened

The federal energy regulator still describes ERCOT as independent and not synchronously connected to the rest of the country. Limited direct current ties can coexist with that status.

What he promised

Direct the grid redesign toward adding generating capacity, with a focus on natural gas to complement renewables.

What happened

The Texas Energy Fund financed new plants. Pin Oak Creek, a fund-backed 460 MW gas plant, entered commercial operation in April 2026.

What he promised

Keep Texas first nationally in the number of jobs added.

What happened

Preliminary federal data show Texas added 154,300 nonfarm jobs from September 2025 to September 2026, the largest absolute gain among the states.

What he promised

Keep Texas in the lead by number of top-tier research institutions.

What happened

Under the updated research criteria, the 2025 Carnegie classification placed Texas first with 16 R1 institutions.

What he promised

Keep Texas in the lead in schools honored under the national Blue Ribbon program.

What happened

The federal program shifted to states in 2025. Texas created its own award and honored 25 schools in 2026. The state awards do not provide a comparable national ranking.

What he promised

Protect the future of Texas energy jobs.

What happened

Oil and gas exploration and production employment rose by 2,400 jobs in the year through September 2026. The campaign set no benchmark for the sector as a whole.

What he promised

Continue building a Texas-funded border wall.

What happened

The state commission recorded 82.2 miles of permanent barrier when it wrapped up the project in February 2026. That total includes work started in 2021; the 2022 pledge did not specify a length.

What he promised

Keep Texas National Guard personnel and state DPS officers deployed at the border.

What happened

Texas continued Operation Lone Star during the term. In 2025 it deployed the Texas Tactical Border Force to work with U.S. Border Patrol and directed DPS to deploy tactical teams.

What he promised

Continue taking people apprehended after crossing between ports of entry back to border ports.

What happened

Texas authorized those transfers in July 2022. Handoffs to federal agents were documented in Eagle Pass, and the order was reaffirmed after the election. The policy transferred people to federal authorities on the U.S. side.

What he promised

Continue voluntarily busing migrants to other cities and add Chicago to the program.

What happened

The state continued busing people after the election and reported more than 32,500 people bused to Chicago by March 2024. By July 2024, the Migration Policy Institute counted more than 119,000 people bused under the program.

What he promised

Treat designated Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations and strengthen the state response against them.

What happened

Following state Executive Order GA-42 in 2022, SB 1900 in 2023 incorporated cartels into the applicable state definition and revised offenses and penalties related to foreign terrorist organizations.

What he promised

Continue supporting Texas sheriffs’ offices in border operations.

What happened

The state kept funding local Operation Lone Star grants. In 2025, for example, Kerr County accepted $937,655 in state funding for the program in fiscal 2026.

What he promised

Continue reforming bail to restrict pretrial release in serious cases and for repeat offenders.

What happened

In 2025, SB 9 strengthened review of bail decisions, and voter-approved Proposition 3 required denial of bail in certain serious cases when constitutional criteria are met.

What he promised

Prevent Texas cities from improperly cutting police budgets.

What happened

The 2021 HB 1900 remained in force, penalizing certain cuts in cities with more than 250,000 residents. Rural law enforcement grants were added in 2023, but the rule did not extend to all municipalities.

What he promised

Classify fentanyl deaths as poisoning or toxicity in death records.

What happened

HB 6 in 2023 required death certificates for fentanyl deaths to include fentanyl poisoning or fentanyl toxicity.

What he promised

Allow murder charges against fentanyl distributors when the drug causes a death.

What happened

HB 6 in 2023 added murder by manufacturing or delivering fentanyl to the Penal Code, subject to the law’s knowledge and causation requirements.

What he promised

Expand access to naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses.

What happened

Texas expanded distribution through naloxone allotments for law enforcement and distribution grants. In 2023 it announced a second allotment of 60,000 units available to law enforcement agencies across the state.

What he promised

Explore a coordinated statewide recovery program for people with substance use disorders.

What happened

Texas funded opioid recovery services through its existing response program, and the state council approved a $100 million grant plan in 2025. A new coordinated program as broad as the announcement could not be verified.

What he promised

Increase penalties for crimes against older Texans.

What happened

HB 2187 in 2023 extended the abandonment or endangerment offense to older people. HB 2243, a separate bill addressing family violence against older people, did not become law.

What he promised

Give the Texas attorney general new authority to pursue and prosecute people who prey on older Texans.

What happened

SB 576 in 2023 required certain reports to be referred to police as well as the relevant prosecutor. The promised new general prosecution authority for the attorney general could not be verified.

What he promised

Reduce or eliminate state fees for older Texans, such as vehicle registration and hunting and fishing licenses.

What happened

The senior hunting license remains $7 and the senior freshwater fishing package $12, the same as before the campaign. The vehicle registration fee schedule also shows no statewide age discount.

What he promised

Create a one-stop website for state and local government discounts for older Texans.

What happened

Texas provides directories of services for older Texans. The promised one-stop website for state and local discounts could not be verified.

What he promised

Expand the 2-1-1 line to give older Texans more information about state and local services.

What happened

The 2-1-1 line connects older Texans with services and resource centers. A post-campaign expansion and any new information added could not be verified.

What he promised

Make older Texans eligible for a freeze on county property tax on their homes.

What happened

Tax Code section 11.261 still limits the ceiling to counties that have adopted one. Access to the freeze still depends on the county.

What he promised

Automatically enroll all eligible older homeowners in the extra school-tax exemption, worth $10,000 in 2022.

What happened

HB 4077 in 2023 required automatic approval when the appraisal district has the required age information. Enrollment is not universal: state guidance describes it for those already receiving the general exemption with an accurate birth date on file.

What he promised

Preserve churches’ tax exemption against proposals to remove it over their positions.

What happened

The current Tax Code retains the exemption for certain property of qualifying religious organizations. The outcome was preservation of the existing protection.

What he promised

Keep the purchase age for semiautomatic rifles when faced with a proposal to raise it from 18 to 21.

What happened

HB 2744 in 2023 did not become law. The State Law Library still lists 18 as the federal minimum for long-gun sales by licensed dealers, with no higher Texas minimum for that purchase.

What he promised

Pay for and make emergency contraception readily available at hospitals and clinics for rape survivors.

What happened

HB 47 in 2025 expanded reimbursement for care and medication after a forensic exam. HB 220, which would have required facilities treating survivors to offer emergency contraception, did not advance out of the Senate.

What he promised

Revisit the abortion ban’s exception to protect the life of the pregnant patient.

What happened

SB 31 in 2025 clarified when clinicians may act in a medical emergency, including before the risk is imminent. The law did not add exceptions for rape or incest.

What he promised

Maintain Texas’s decision against adopting the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion.

What happened

Texas had still not adopted the federal Medicaid expansion in KFF’s October 2026 tracker. The existing policy remained in place.