He signed welfare reform into law, including time limits and work requirements. With the help of jobs produced in the strong economy, welfare rolls in Texas have been cut nearly in half. Juvenile justice reform was another of his campaign promises. The message now is you're responsible for what you do. The legislature agreed, passing longer, tougher sentences for juveniles, tripling the prison capacity and more than doubling the money to run the system.
Juvenile crime is down in Texas, and violent juvenile crime is down sharply.
Texas, he said, had more million-dollar legal verdicts than the rest of the United States combined. Businesses across the board were being hurt. The governor personally lobbied legislators to support his crusade. What he can do with a shake of a hand or a squeeze of the arm or a pat on the back, other politicians just are not able to do that. And he will get out and plow the field for votes.