Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick diverge ahead of the legislative session on property taxes, power grid

Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at a joint press conference on the lawn of the Governor’s Mansion on Jan. 9, 2019. (Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune.)

The legislative session is more than a month away, but fault lines are already emerging between Texas’ top two Republican leaders on two major issues.

Both Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick want to use the state’s massive budget surplus to deliver property tax relief, but they appear split on how far to go — and how to pay for it. And in a starker contrast, Patrick has deemed it a top priority to continue fixing the power grid, while Abbott has declared the issue resolved.