“We have a moment in time — right now — to set the stage for an even greater Texas…”

AUSTIN – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick took the oath of office today at 11:22 AM and was sworn in as the 42nd lieutenant governor of Texas. The ceremony took place on the north steps of the Texas Capitol where the lieutenant governor was introduced by State Senator Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, the longest serving Republican in the Texas Senate, and State Senator John Whitmire, D-Houston, the longest serving Democrat in the Texas Senate. In making his inaugural remarks, the lieutenant governor said:

“The people of Texas didn’t elect us to be silent on things that matter. They elected us to work together and do what is right for the people of Texas. We have a moment in time, right now, to set the stage for an even greater Texas for future generations. It is within our grasp. The elections are over for now — we will have them again in two years to air out our differences — but for right now, it’s time for us to work together for all of the people of Texas. I intend to do my part.”

Patrick introduced newly elected Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and stressed their shared commitment to achieving bold reforms on property taxes, school finance and teacher pay.

Lt. Gov. Patrick also announced that Sen. Nelson filed Senate Bill 3 earlier today, which will be the first across-the-board pay increase for Texas teachers in nearly 20 years. Every one of Texas’ 350,000 teachers will receive a $5,000 raise, beginning in the next school year — the first step in increasing the base pay of teachers by $10,000. $5,000 will be added to their pay the following year, meaning each teacher will get $10,000 more total in the new budget. The lieutenant governor added that Sen. Nelson has filed the Senate budget, Senate Bill 1, today, which will include $3.7 billion to fund the teacher pay raise.