Abbott signs three veteran-focused bills at annual gala

Gov. Greg Abbott ceremonially signed Senate Bill 1814, Senate Bill 1818 and House Bill 114 on Sunday to strengthen support for veterans in Texas.

“Texas is home to more veterans than any other state,” Abbott said, according to a press release. “We owe every member who serves our country the deepest appreciation that we have. America would not be America — we would not be the freest and strongest, most powerful country in the history of the world — if it weren’t for these soldiers willing to stand up and do the things they are doing. Texas will forever honor the service and sacrifice of those who served the United States of America.”

The bill signing took place at the annual Combat Marine Outdoors Gala. Abbott was joined by Acting Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Kelly Hancock; state Reps. Charles Cunningham, Morgan Meyer and Dennis Paul; U.S. Marine Corps Ret. Col. and Combat Marine Outdoors Co-Founder and President Alan Orr; USMC Ret. Master Gunnery Sgt. and CMO Co-Founder and CEO Arturo Garcia; and other state and local officials, according to the press release.

Abbott also noted that Texas is currently the No. 1 state for jobs created by veteran-owned businesses and that the number of those jobs has more than doubled since 2022.

He highlighted Senate Bill 2308, which he previously signed into law, that provides matching funds for research into ibogaine, an experimental treatment showing promise in addressing opioid addiction and other behavioral health conditions, particularly among veterans.

Senate Bill 1814, authored by Sen. Kelly Hancock and sponsored by Rep. Cole Hefner, instructs the Texas Veterans Commission to establish and maintain an electronic database of contact information for service members leaving active duty who consent to be included.

The database would allow state agencies and veteran organizations to access the information in order to provide relevant resources and support to those individuals.

Senate Bill 1818, also authored by Hancock and sponsored by Rep. Liz Campos, requires Texas licensing agencies to immediately issue a provisional license to military service members, veterans, and military spouses who hold a license issued by another state with similar requirements.

According to a press release, this aims to eliminate delays in employment caused by licensing transfer processes.

House Bill 114, authored by Rep. Philip Cortez and sponsored by Sen. Judith Zaffirini, transfers the responsibility for several veteran-related programs from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to the Texas Veterans Commission.

The move is intended to streamline services and consolidate support under one agency more directly focused on veteran needs.

All information in this article was provided by the Office of the Governor via an official press release.