FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2019 file photo, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, right, gives his State of the State address as Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, left, listens in the House Chamber, in Austin, Texas. Abbott is pushing for a sales taxes increase for the first time in nearly 30 years as Republican leaders struggle to deliver on simultaneous promises to boost money for education and cut property taxes. The plan for a one-penny increase would raise the statewide sales tax rate from 6.25% to 7.25%. That money could be used to offset reduced property taxes, which have taken on bigger share of public school funding as the state cut costs and resisted calls for new spending. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File) Photo: Eric Gay, STF / Associated Press / Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.