Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick visits Waco during 8-week Texas bus tour

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick made a stop at the Hippodrome Theater in Waco as part of his 8-week Texas bus tour.

Patrick and his team started the tour last week at the Alamo in San Antonio and he plans to visit 131 Texas cities.

The Republican lawmaker touched on several issues and topics in the state, as part of his campaign ahead of the midterm elections. One of those issues was providing more for our veterans.

“They are very supportive because of the focus I put on veterans’ rights. And one of the things that we did for wounded veterans and those killed in action is, to remove the burden of property taxes,” Patrick says.

The Lt. Gov. also plans to fulfill a goal he set many years ago that will increase the homestead exemption for the many Texans.

“The first thing we did when I was elected in 2015 was increase the homestead exemption from 15,000 to 25,000. This year I increased it from 25 to 40,000, and next session I am going to increase it from 40 to 55,000. My goal is over the next several sessions to get the homestead up to 100,000 exemption off the top,” Patrick adds.

With the recent massacre in Uvalde, safety in schools is on the minds of Texans as they send their children back for the new year. The Lt. Gov. says the issue has not left their minds.

“The senate is going to release our report very quickly of our recommendations for school security and school safety, and in 74 days the election will be behind us, and people will get down to work preparing for the next session. Many already are, like myself, so we will address that. It will be a top priority next session for sure,” Patrick explains.

But the hot button issue for Texas? The border crisis and the large amounts of fentanyl being carried over into our state(s). Dan Patrick says the Biden administration isn’t doing their job, so Texas will do it for them.

“On the border we have apprehended thousands of criminals that should not be in this country, and enough fentanyl doses to kill America. I have to be candid with you and try not to be overly partisan in this sounding but it’s just the truth, where is the Biden administration on border security?,” Patrick says.

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is running to keep his seat at the Texas capitol and will be running against democratic candidate Mike Collier. Election day is set for November 8th.