State Senator Kolkhorst discusses legislative updates, expectations for 2024

AUSTIN, Texas (KBTX) – After a busy year at the state capitol, leaders are looking back on what was accomplished and what still needs to be done.

It was an unprecedented year with an impeachment trial, a representative unanimously expelled from the house, four special legislative sessions and a record-breaking surplus budget.

“The number one thing that I think we did as a legislature is that we gave that money back to the people, it’s the people’s money,” State Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst, District 18, said. “Whether it’s your homestead, your property tax reduction or your franchise tax reduction. We’re giving that money back to the people so that the economy can continue to flourish. My interest is making sure that young people can afford houses, that they can buy property and own their own home and by reducing taxes that’s one step. We have some other things that we need to do because I know corporations are buying up houses and they want everyone to be a renter, stay tuned. We’re gonna do something about that as well.”

Kolkhorst said that work continues at the Texas border with Mexico. This comes on the same day that congressional leaders got a tour of the Eagle Pass facilities, and shared concerns about a lack of oversight in the area.

“This is a national security issue and a humanitarian crisis of what they’re doing to these people as the cartels traffic them through to the United States and beyond,” Kolkhorst said.

And Kolkhorst says the fight at home doesn’t stop there. Over the next year, she said she is focusing on pushing school and mental health funding forward.

“This is a multi-pronged approach, you have to consider mental health as a part of a school safety issue. And that is something that we’ve put a tremendous amount of resources into. I’m working as the Chair of Health and Human Services along with people in education to get more and more money to our school districts to deal with mental health, but also to the right resources,” she said, but the funding needs to continue for schools. “We’ve not quite accomplished that but I’m holding out great hope that we can. School districts know that we’re really working to get them that money and that would be on my list of disappointments thus far that we haven’t gotten that over the goal line. And I really do think that that’s super important as we move Forward.”

Leaders have not announced a special session in 2024.