Press release
Gov. Greg Abbott has now signed all of State Rep. Gooden’s House bills that have reached his desk. The veto period, which ended this week, saw the death of 50 House and Senate bills from across the state; however, Gooden’s bills were none of the victims.
“I really appreciate the Governor’s signatures to these bills that do things from end a tax, help public schools, and reduce government. This is a positive end to many months of planning and hard work on issues that were brought to me by citizens from across Henderson and Kaufman counties,” Gooden said.
Gooden’s legislative agenda included several pro public education bills he filed after his appointment to the influential House Public Education Committee. A total of six House bills by Gooden passed both Houses and reached the Governor’s desk since the start of the session. Seven other bills by Gooden have become law through Gooden’s use of the amendment process or through passage of the same version as a Senate bill.
As he prepares for the Special Legislative Session that begins July 18, Gooden said his goal is continuing to support public education and fighting for the rights of taxpayers.
“My main focus in the coming month is continuing to oppose bad legislation that harms our public schools, and to support strong reform to the property tax process,” Gooden said. “Property tax bills have continued to rise and folks across both counties I represent are more frustrated than ever. The state of Texas has got to fix the school finance system and stop passing the funding burden onto local taxpayers.”