Abbott says he would sign open-carry bill

By Dave Montgomery

Special to the Star-Telegram

AUSTIN — Wasting no time in beginning his transition into the governor’s office, Greg Abbott made it clear Wednesday that he is prepared to sign legislation that would allow Texans to openly carry firearms.

Hours after his victory, he plunged into preparations for the legislative session and reviewed the state’s plans for dealing with Ebola.

At a 12-minute news conference in the old Supreme Court chamber of the Capitol, the newly elected 48th governor of Texas said he would sign open-carry legislation if it passes the Legislature, reaffirming his campaign position.

“Texas, as I understand it, is only one of seven or so states in the United States of America that does not have open carry,” Abbott said. “If open carry is good enough for Massachusetts, it’s good enough for the state of Texas. If an open-carry bill is passed by the House and Senate and arrives at my desk, I will sign it into law.”

Abbott overwhelmingly defeated Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis on Tuesday to extend Republican control of an office now held by outgoing Gov. Rick Perry. Final returns by the secretary of state’s office showed Abbott with 59.28 percent to Davis’ 38.88 percent, surpassing Perry’s 12-point margin over Democrat Bill White in 2010.

Greeting reporters in his first news conference as governor-elect, Abbott, who has been attorney general since 2002, served notice that he plans to move swiftly on his responsibilities as chief executive.

“It’s time to put the election behind us and begin the process of going to work,” Abbott said. “The people of Texas elected me to do a job, and we begin doing that job today.”

Abbott introduced First Assistant Attorney General Daniel Hodge as his appointee for overseeing his transition into the governor’s office.

Abbott will be inaugurated in mid-January along with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and officials on the transition team will soon begin planning the ceremony, Abbott spokeswoman Amelia Chasse said.

Abbott, who has used a wheelchair since he was partly paralyzed in a 1984 jogging accident, will be the first new governor in 14 years. Perry, the state’s longest-serving governor, took office in December 2000, moving up from lieutenant governor when predecessor George W. Bush became president.

Abbott, who has served as attorney general during much of Perry’s tenure, thanked the outgoing governor for “his leadership and service.” Perry opted against seeking a fourth four-year term and is considering another run for the presidency after a disastrous bid in 2012.

Legislative issues

Abbott said he met with Patrick, who will be the state Senate’s presiding officer, and planned to meet later in the day with House Speaker Joe Straus to begin preparing for the 2015 Legislature, which convenes in January.

He said he also planned to meet with agency heads about their priorities for the session and scheduled an afternoon meeting with Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Kyle Janek to discuss Ebola.

Abbott said he wants Janek to “bring me up to date on the Ebola issue to find out what needs to be done.”

Dallas became the site of the first Ebola case in America when Thomas Eric Duncan of Liberia was admitted to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in September. He later died, and two nurses who cared for him were hospitalized and later released.

“Things have improved with regard to Ebola,” Abbott said. “However, we can never let up on these challenges due to how deadly Ebola is.”

Saying voters “both sent a message and affirmed the issues I campaigned on,” Abbott said his top issue is ensuring that Texas remains “No. 1 in the nation for creating jobs.” Elevating the quality of education and securing the border are also high priorities, Abbott said.

Abbott also served notice that he wants to take a hard look at the job-creating Texas Enterprise Fund, one of Perry’s pet initiatives that faced sharp criticism in a recent state audit. Abbott said the fund, which grants incentives to attract companies to Texas, is “on the table” as a program to be thoroughly evaluated.

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