CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — How much will the Coastal Bend get of the State’s estimated budget surplus of $27 billion?
State Representative Todd Hunter told 3NEWS that he hopes the Coastal Bend area can get some much needed funds.
"I want to get all the money I can for us is one of my goals. I think we have been put on the back burner for too long," Hunter said.
Hunter along with State Senator Juan 'Chuy' Hinojosa were two of our state lawmakers who showed up to the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce's legislative update luncheon.
The state legislature meets again in January and Hunter has some ideas on how to spend some of the state’s surplus budget dollars. That total amount is expected to be at least $27 billion.
”I want to get lighting for Highway 361 between Port Aransas and Padre Island, that’s a safety issue," Hunter said. "Then secondly, on the second access we need to get on that future transportation plan that is the key.”
Hunter’s second legislative goal is to get a second bridge built between Padre Island and the mainland. Hinojosa said he has a few ideas on how to get the proposed bridge built.
"First we have to take it to TxDOT and say 'this is what we need down here,'" Hinojosa said. "It’s a priority for us and they will put it in the 10-year plan and that is updated every year. So we need to work on that and focus and get the amount of money and projected cost.”
The latest cost projections on the second bridge is just south of $1 billion. There are two other big ticket items that state lawmakers are going to look at during the session. One is state property tax reform and the other is teacher pay raises.
”We will certainly look at teacher pay raises. We need to," Hinojosa said. "The private sector is paying much higher wages, and we have inflation increasing the cost of living. So, yes we need to focus on what we would call a living wage, a living salary for teachers.”
The legislature’s new session begins on Jan. 10.
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