Gov. Greg Abbott will be in Dallas on Wednesday, giving a State of the State address to North Texas business leaders.
His speech is an extension of one he gave last month in Austin, this time focusing on the Texas economy as part of a luncheon hosted by the Dallas Regional Chamber.
The governor has touted Texas as a robust economy throughout the pandemic, which continues to hold true with the latest government data. Experts say Texas is well positioned to weather a possible national recession this year.
“Texas has been more exceptional compared to the rest of the country during the pandemic because of the many diverse economies and diverse businesses that we have here within Texas,” said Matt Garcia, senior VP of public policy for the Dallas Regional Chamber.
Currently, Texas leads the nation in jobs created over the past year and also leads in corporations moving their headquarters to the state or expanding operations. Many of these relocations occurred in North Texas, which is why DRC believes the Dallas area is leading the way in the state’s success.
“We definitely have a very business-friendly environment here in Texas. It’s everything from low taxes, reasonable regulations and a great workforce — a great pipeline,” Garcia said.
As the Federal Reserve tries to tame inflation across the country, economists believe Texas’ strong labor force and energy sector will help protect it from an economic slowdown we could see this year.
We know Governor Abbott plans to talk about this and his priorities for the upcoming legislative session, as lawmakers also appropriate money in a historically large budget surplus.
The Chamber hopes that part of the focus within the budget can be to address the growing population to keep up with demand.
“We would like to see a lot of these budget dollars go to investments in water, infrastructure, broadband. So the business-friendly environment we have today will continue into the future,” said Garcia.
Governor Abbott is expected to address business leaders at the Hilton Anatole at around 12:30 pm on Wednesday.
