Texas' nonpartisan, nonprofit working to ensure our state is the best place to live and work. Shared articles or 🔃 ≠ positions and follows ≠ endorsements.
Have you heard the news?
Texas gained more new residents than any other state in the country from summer 2021 to summer 2022, according to the
@uscensusbureau
.
The
@KaraCarlson2
for
@statesman
dives in on the data:
In Texas, who you vote for is private, but whether you vote is public record. Stand out in your community as a proud Texas primary voter.
#txvote
#txlege
Join the few who decide our state's future. Early voting is now!
It's a big one, folks – Texas is 188! 🎂 Wondering what's more timeless than Texas? Share your best 'Only in Texas' moment to celebrate! 🤠
Use
#TexasBirthday
in the comments to share!
Heard during Senate Education Committee public testimony: Texas teacher says health care expenses increase so fast that pay raises can't keep up.
#txlege
#txed
Watch here:
The impact of aging and leaky water systems in one major Texas city:
The city of Houston lost 30 billion gallons of water in 2022 due to leaks. In some months, leaked water was more than 20% of the city's total water supply.
#txwater
Read more:
Texas is poised to make the next transformative investment in the state's park system with the creation of the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund. The voters must now decide whether to authorize the fund this November.
#txparks
Read more:
"89% of Texas voters support the Legislature using the budget surplus to fix problematic water systems," said Texas 2036 Senior Policy Advisor
@jeremybmazur
.
#txwater
#txlege
More Texas voters want high-quality curriculum! 📚
#txed
👍 73% of Texas voters said they would be in favor of the state requiring high-quality instructional materials for Texas schools to ensure students read on grade level, according to our Feb. 2023 Texas Voter Poll.
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced a historic budget of $188.2 billion for the 2024-25 biennium budget cycle earlier this month, positioning the state to make investments that will be felt for generations to come.
#txlege
Here's what it all means:
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced the release of the new interactive Texas Broadband Development Map, which illustrates the state of digital connectivity in the state and identifies areas eligible for funding.
#txbroadband
#txlege
A significant portion of the fast-growing private space sector is located in Texas.
Texas 2036's
@MitrahAvini
takes a look at how this will generate big benefits for Texans.
#space
#txlege
"The state has a hefty surplus this session, and it is important that lawmakers use a portion of it to ensure safe and ample water supply throughout Texas," the
@dallasnews
editorial team said.
#txwater
#txlege
Did you know that the number of light-duty vehicles on Texas roadways will increase by as many as 8 million in 2050, while the amount of fuel used by those vehicles will decline by about 40%?
#txenergy
#txtransportation
Here's what to know:
From the Panhandle to the Gulf Coast, Texans share a bond as vast as our state.
Today, we celebrate
#TexasIndependenceDay
🤠 ❤️
Show your love for
#TexasBirthday
for a chance to be featured on our website!
Excellent
#txwater
news with the Senate’s initial approval of
#SB28
. This bill will tackle the issues of developing new water supplies in a drought prone state and fixing aging, deteriorating infrastructure.
#txlege
Congrats to
@JamesTalarico
&
@loiskolkhorst
on the passage of
#HB25
, which would allow Texas to import less expensive prescription drugs using a safe, FDA-approved process and help Texans gain access to lower-cost medications.
#txhealth
#txlege
Did you know that
@SpaceX
invested more than $1 billion in its Boca Chica facility, including over $400 million for operations in 2021?
Learn more about the space industry in Texas:
It's Texas' birthday again. 🤠
That’s why we invite you, our neighbors and fellow Texans, to work with us and help shape the future of the Lone Star State.
#txlege
#txindependenceday
VIEW OUR B-DAY MESSAGE:
As we celebrate Texas' 187th anniversary of independence, we want to know who you trust most to move the state forward!
#txlege
#texasindependenceday
Tell us here:
Fact check: Public school textbooks are only required to meet HALF of grade-level standards.
#txlege
#txed
This could explain why only 52% of Texas students are reading on grade level. Our kids need a curriculum that delivers 100%. 🎓
Learn more:
Since Texas was born in 1836, it has been one of the fastest growing states in the country.
#data
As we celebrate
#texasbirthday
this weekend, check out the last 187 years of Texas’ growth!
Did you know?
Only 19% of elementary reading curriculum taught in Texas classrooms is on or above grade level.
#txed
Here's how
#txlege
is taking steps for high-quality curriculum:
"Do we have enough water supplies for a growing state that is prone to being afflicted by drought?" Texas 2036's
@jeremybmazur
told
@abc13houston
. "The answer is that we're working on it."
#txwater
#txlege
Read more on what Texas is doing about it:
Annual cost of child care in TX: $8,718, or 28% of a single mother's median income. No wonder, then, that our February poll found 70% of TX voters didn't think most working parents have access to affordable child care.
Read more:
Texas 2036 is excited to announce today that former
@RiceUniversity
President
@davidleebron
will join the organization as its incoming president and CEO.
David will succeed former U.S. Sec. of Education Margaret Spellings.
Learn more:
Our Fellow Texans, on this
#ValentinesDay
, we’re celebrating our shared love for
#Texas
.
We feel it when that Texas tune hits just right — whether sung by
@WillieNelson
,
@SelenaLaLeyenda
,
@Beyonce
or our school’s band. When we dig into a plate of Tex-Mex, barbecue or homegrown…
Texas' median age is 35, making it the U.S.'s 2nd youngest state, per recent
@uscensusbureau
numbers.
In case you were wondering, Utah is the youngest.
#data
🧵1/3
Read more:
As of July 2021, 249 of Texas’ 254 counties have areas with shortages of primary care physicians. In 228 of them, the entire county has a shortage — nearly double what it was as of 2019. 😱
#txlege
#txhealth
#data
Don’t wait until it’s too late!
#txlege
With early voting open between Feb. 20 and March 1, now is the time to make a plan to vote and share with your family, friends, colleagues and communities why participating in Texas’ primary elections matters.
We recently launched a new feature that enables Texans to gain a national view through dynamic maps and charts that give a bird’s eye view of how we compare to other states on key metrics. Find out how Texas stacks up to other states.
Get started below:
Did you know that Texas is primed to continue leading the nation in energy production, which contributes to the expansion of the state economy?
We look into this further in our online
#txenergy
tool ➡️
Texas will need to spend more than $150 billion over the next 50 years on water infrastructure.
#txwater
#txlege
#infrastructure
We break it down here:
Did you know 46,000 Texas students are enrolled in floral design statewide, but according to a data analysis only 41 jobs were available in TX from 2022-23?
▶️ TX2036's
@marylynnpruneda
testimony on how Texas students should be college or career ready:
Your primary vote shows elected officials that you care about Texas' future.
#txlege
We want to hear from you! Are you planning to vote in this year's party primaries?
Let us know:
"When I think about Tamoria, I hold this light close to my heart. The belief in the power of literacy to illuminate children’s futures," writes
@marylynnpruneda
in tribute to her friend Tamoria Jones, the Angel of Literacy.
#txlege
#txed
Texans will decide the fate of 14 constitutional amendments during the Nov. 7 election.
The top three we are following:
🏞️ State Parks
🚰 Water Infrastructure
💻 Broadband Infrastructure
See the
@TexasTribune
guide breaking down each amendment:
The Texas aerospace industry has shrugged off the job losses suffered during the pandemic, with employment in this emerging jobs sector surging to an all-time high by the end of 2022, employing 154,918 in Texas.
#workforce
#txspace
Read more:
It is estimated that the state loses 136 billion gallons of water a year to leaking water pipes, according to SB28/SJR 75.
Additionally, the state will be 7 million acre-feet short of supply in the next 50 years.
#txwater
#txlege
Significant
#txwater
development early in the
#txlege
session with the announcement of the Texas House Water Caucus.
Hat tip to
@TexasWaterFD
for organizing this effort to discuss the water infrastructure, supply, and flood issues facing our state.
A new Texas law aims to get more students into advanced math classes in middle school.
@KUT
dives in on Senate Bill 2124, which was signed into law last month, and what it means for Texans.
#txed
60% of all TX students aren't on grade level in math.
#txed
Prior to 2020,
#STAAR
math performance was low but increasing on a year-over-year basis. Covid learning loss erased all of this increase.
#txlege
Learn more about student readiness:
Failure to build new water supplies could incur $110 billion in economic losses per year in this decade.
Learn more about
#txwater
in our Legislative Blueprint:
Today, Texas Comptroller Hegar announced that the state was awarded $363.8 million in federal funds from the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund for broadband expansion projects in the state.
#txbroadband
#txlege
Here's what you need to know:
Check out this clip from
@RepJamesFrank
's interview with
@TPPF
about why
#HB711
will matter to so many families and employers who are struggling with rising
#txhealth
care costs.
#txlege
See the full episode of The Layout:
In her latest op-ed in
@dallasnews
, Texas 2036 President/CEO Margaret Spellings discusses the importance of accountability in Texas education.
Read it here:
What's next for Texas law enforcement?
#txjustice
@KXAN_News
'
@David_Barer
talked to Texas 2036's
@LuisSantosTX
on the Sunset Commission recommendations and how it would address key issues.
Here's what you need to know:
"Texas added nearly 570,000 new signups for affordable health plans for 2023 — a nation-leading growth rate for the third straight year,"
@dallasnews
'
@mitchschnurman
reports.
#healthcare
#txlege
Here's what you need to know:
Last year, the Fourth of July weekend’s hot temperatures and drought conditions provided a combustible mix as fireworks ignited hundreds of wildfires across Texas.
Here’s what you need to know on wildfire risks.
#txwx
Texas oil and natural gas production are at record highs, per gov't data.
In May, TX producers generated a new record of 1,045 BCF of natural gas, growth attributable in part to demand for LNG following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Via
@jeremybmazur
:
Did you know public school textbooks are only required to meet HALF of grade-level standards? 📚
#QualityCounts
#txlege
#txed
Here's what you need to know:
Did you know? 👇
Elementary students in Texas who fail the
#STAAR
reading or math tests do NOT get held back.
#txed
Instead, Texas schools are required to offer tutoring to help the student catch back up to grade level.
#txlege
"This Texas Voter Poll shows how Texas legislators can make this session about the future of our state," said Texas 2036's President and CEO Margaret Spellings.
#txlege
Learn more about our sixth voter poll:
The 7th Texas Voter Poll is out now!
#txlege
Here's 3 reasons why you should read:
🗳️ Nearly 1/2 of TX voters are concerned about better opportunities for future gens
🗳️ 65% are either extremely or very concerned about the state's future
🗳️ 80% support TEA's proposed initiative…
"Texas voters are increasingly concerned about the state's future – and they are hungry for solutions on the issues that will shape it." -
@Texas2036
CEO Margaret Spellings
#txlege
#txvote
We asked Texas voters in our 7th Texas Voter Poll if children today have the same, better, or worse opportunities to succeed than previous generations.
What they said:
👎 46% of voters believe children today will have worse opportunities to succeed
👍 while 30% of voters believe…
Based on historical turnout data, almost 1 in 5 voting-age Texans will decide who is going to be on the Nov. ballot and what issues are going to take priority in the next
#txlege
.
Be the Texas voter who participates in the 2024 primaries!
We support more
#teacher
pay, better resources for teachers and an enhanced curriculum for
#Texas
students.
#txed
#txlege
Here’s a look at our latest efforts in
#education
in our Issues and Action newsletter.
Texas 2036 has developed a "Legislative Blueprint" for the
#txlege
that proposes systemic, comprehensive reforms needed to address the problems with the state’s aging, deteriorating water systems.
#txwater
LEARN MORE:
"You need to know what the prices are, but you also need to have competition. And there's a lot of unleveling playing field and a lot of anti-competitive practices that are happening in health care,"
@RepJamesFrank
to
@fox7austin
#HB711
#txlege
#txhealth
What can be done to tackle the root causes driving up costs of health care, housing & protecting our most vulnerable children? What can we do to build pathways to health and economic security?
We dive into these questions in our latest Issues and Action:
Texas in 2022 topped the rest of the country for new corporate facilities — the 11th year in a row the Lone Star State has headed the annual list,
@dallasnews
reports.
Here are some of the top takeaways:
Texans love their state parks! 🏞️
👍 74% of Texas voters would vote for the creation of the centennial parks conservation fund to be used for the creation and improvement of state parks.
#txparks
Learn more:
Nearly seven of 10 Americans support the space industry.
🚀 And Texas is leading the way.
The
@pewresearch
released data from its most recent survey on the space industry and American attitudes toward it:
It's official – the Texas Space Commission is a go! 🚀
The commission, which has 9 new members appointed by Gov.
@GregAbbott_TX
and Lt. Gov.
@DanPatrick
, will cement the state's position as a national leader in the space industry.
Learn more about it:
Correct and accessible data is imperative for decision-making necessary to better care for Texas’ children.
#childwelfare
#txlege
Learn more about our report on "Modernizing Texas' Child Welfare IT System:"
Check out
@payloadspace
's article about the fierce competition to lead the commercial space industry. Fortunately, the
#txlege
recently created the Texas Space Commission to ensure we organize for success.
Hydrogen carries enormous potential as a low-emission, highly efficient energy resource.
#txenergy
We break down the path forward for Texas’ hydrogen policy.
On this day, 177 years ago, Texas became the 28th U.S. state.
Today, our population currently stands at about 29.5 million, the second largest in the country. Happy Anniversary Texas! 🤠
The existing data system for the TX Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) does not meet updated federal guidance and does not meet basic needs of the workers who use it.
#childwelfare
#txlege
Here's what you need to know:
Texans are talking about a new report that predicts the largest metro areas by 2100 to be
1. Dallas
2. Houston
3. Austin
with the 3 cities toppling NYC, LA & Chicago as the most populous cities in America.
What do you think about this projected growth?
The American Society of Civil Engineers grades our drinking water infrastructure with a C-. Our wastewater infrastructure received a D.
#txwater
Learn more:
An out of this world moment! 🌌
Today,
@GregAbbott_TX
tells ISS Expedition 70 flight engineer Loral O’Hara, a native Texan, about his stop
@NASA
Mission Control and his upcoming announcement at 11:30 a.m. on the Texas Space Commission.
#txlege
“That’s incredible news and I’m…
"When seven out of 10 Texas voters tell us that they are exceedingly concerned about the state’s future, they are sending a clear message ...,” Texas 2036 President and CEO Margaret Spellings said.
#txlege
#txvote
#poll
VIEW TEXAS VOTER POLL:
Middle schoolers continue to see declines in math,
#STAAR
results show.
Only 38% of 8th graders were on grade level in math in 2022, leaving 260,000+ students behind with only four years to catch up before leaving high school.
#txlege
LEARN MORE:
Recent Nation’s Report Card scores show 44% of the TX graduating class of '23 was proficient in math.
#txed
But only 30% of those students tested at or above proficient in 8th grade.
#txlege
Find out how these losses are impacting student readiness:
The TX economy is projected to do well through 2050, according to our
#txenergy
dashboard.
Creating market opportunities within the energy sector for a diverse and broad array of energy tech will have a positive impact on the state’s future.
More:
Texas 2036 President and CEO Margaret Spellings reflects in a
@dallasnews
op-ed on the bonds that hold Texans together and what can be accomplished when Texans work together around shared priorities, guided by data.
#txlege
Read more:
"Texans are worried about their water supplies and the condition of their water infrastructure," said Texas 2036's
@jeremybmazur
in his latest guest column for
@thefactsnews
.
#txwater
Here's what you need to know:
“Texas’ most vulnerable, our children, deserve better than 30-year-old technology,” said Texas 2036 Executive Vice President
@AJRodriguez2036
.
Learn more about our report with
@txalliancecfs
on "Modernizing Texas' Child Welfare IT System:"
Continuing his series on community college reforms,
@renzo_soto21
highlights efforts to boost schools' capacity to provide workforce-aligned courses, including apprenticeships or employer-sponsored training.
#txlege
#txworkforce
#highered
Read more:
Projections from all four models in our Future of Texas dashboard indicate a near doubling of electric demand in Texas by the year 2050.
We can attribute this surge to multiple factors, including the state’s economic growth.
#txenergy
See the data:
Texas 2036 and
@TXAllianceCFS
are releasing today a report calling for the state to update the child welfare information system.
#childwelfare
Read the full report: