Abbott touts pro-business policy at bill signing in Fort Worth
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Gov. Greg Abbott signed a flurry of legislation in Fort Worth Tuesday as he touted both the city and the state’s achievements to be pro-business. Among the bills was a resolution to designate Fort Worth as the official Aviation and Defense Capital of Texas.
The governor signed four bills — House Bills 346, 2464, 5195 and 2206 — aiming to modernize services and make the state more business-friendly.
HB 346, expedites the process for completing business filings from the Secretary of State’s office, and also makes permanent the veteran-owned business franchise tax exemption. Abbott credited his Small Business Freedom Council, created to improve government efficiency and reduce regulation on businesses, which recommended the bill.
HB 2464 prevents cities from imposing regulations on businesses run out of the home.
HB 5195 requires every state agency to update its website, both to modernize appearance and function but also to guard against cyberattacks.
“I’ve heard one report say we face 10,000 cyber attacks a second in the state of Texas, and we need to be able to address this more robustly, more comprehensively,” Abbott said.
HB 2206 extends and increases tax credits for research and franchises, which Abbott said encourages partnerships between private companies and universities. Abbott also mentioned that Texas now has the most tier one research universities of any state.
In signing the bills and the resolution giving Fort Worth a new title, Abbott again said Texas is best in the nation for doing business and praised Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker for her work in growing the city in recent years. Fort Worth was recently estimated to have surpassed Austin in population, becoming the 11th largest city in the U.S.
