In celebration of School Board Appreciation Month, I hope that all parents, teachers, and students will join me in recognizing our local School Board Members who have dedicated themselves to the betterment of Texas children.
To all the devoted trustees, whose commitment to education is helping build the foundation of our state's future, a resounding thank you. I sincerely appreciate all of your hard work, and hope you will see my office as a partner in our shared goal to help the students of Texas succeed.
With that, here’s an update from your State Capitol.
Last week, the Comptroller of Public Accounts announced that Texas collected $4.3 billion in state sales tax revenue during December 2025, over 5 percent more than collected in December 2024. This strong increase in sales tax revenues, which outpaced inflation, signals the continued strength of the Texas economy.
Additionally, Gov. Greg Abbott announced last week that Texas set new records for the number of Texans working and the size of the Texas labor force. Texas set new highs with the largest labor force in state history at just less than 16 million people and just more than 15 million workers, including self-employed, who actively hold a job. Additionally, Texas gained over 145,000 jobs between 2024 and 2025, more than any other state in the U.S. and outpacing the national annual job growth rate.
All of these success metrics continue to point out to the rest of the country, and the world, that Texas is truly the land of opportunity for those who wish to move to Texas to work hard and follow the law. I have always supported pro-economic development policies in the Legislature and will continue to pursue even more economic opportunities for Deep East Texans so long as I have the honor of serving as your voice in Austin.
The mobile office is still on the road again this month and our District Director will look forward to seeing you on Jan. 21 at the Houston County Courthouse Annex in Crockett from 9:30 -11:30 a.m. and the Trinity County Courthouse in Groveton from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can help you in any way. My district office may be reached at (936) 634-2762, and our Capitol office at (512) 463-0508. Additionally, I welcome you to follow along on my Official Facebook Page, where I will post regular updates on what's happening in your State Capitol and share information that could be useful to you and your family: https://www.facebook.com/RepTrentAshby/.
Trent Ashby represents District 9 in the Texas Legislature.
