Abbott unveils plan to boost health care, opportunities for veterans
"Our veterans, those who have fought on the front lines deserve to go to the front of the line when it comes to accessing opportunity in
Abbott was introduced by his older brother,
To encourage hiring of veterans, Abbott proposed that a local option be provided for commercial property tax exemptions for each full-time, newly-hired veteran. He also proposed a local option property tax exemption of up to
Abbott also said that, "
Abbott called on the
"I am proposing a commercial property tax exemption for entities that provide reduced-cost housing or substance abuse and mental health residential treatment programs to our veterans," Abbott said.
Abbott also called for full funding of the mental health program for
"I also want to see more done to unclog the backlog in the
The governor wants to provide increased funding to the
Abbott said he would continue to press
"Right now the closest hospital to veterans in the
The governor's plan would enhance state grants to organizations providing legal services to veterans, and encourage opportunities for state-employed attorneys to offer pro-bono legal services to veterans
The plan also calls for the governor to lead a recruitment drive to double the size of the Texas State Guard to 5,000 to better enable the state to respond to natural disasters and other emergency situations.
And Abbott wants to create a temporary governor's committee to prepare for potential base closures and realignments.
The committee would be made of 22 Texas veterans, community and business leaders, including three representative each who served as officers at
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