Texas secretary of state urges continued support for CPRIT, cites 2007 and 2019 voter approvals

Speaker 1, the Texas secretary of state, praised the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) and urged continued public and legislative support, saying Texans approved CPRIT twice at the ballot box.

The secretary said CPRIT was created by a 2007 constitutional amendment and reauthorized by voters in 2019, which “authorized another $3,000,000,000 investment,” and that the program brings both health and economic benefits to the state.

“I served in the Texas Senate for 30 years, and being a champion for CPRIT is one of the things of which I am most proud,” Speaker 1 said, describing prior committee service as chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and the Finance Committee. The secretary said that experience shaped efforts to position Texas as a national leader in cancer research and prevention and helped attract researchers and clinicians to the state.

The secretary emphasized CPRIT’s role beyond research funding, citing outreach programs and early-detection efforts that reach Texans in rural areas: “Let's keep talking about the university that received funding for a cutting edge study or the outreach program that makes early detection possible for Texans living in rural areas,” the secretary said. The official said those local examples help build support across legislative districts.

The remarks were framed as an appeal to preserve and renew legislative champions: the secretary said many legislators who first supported CPRIT in 2007 are no longer in office and that a new generation must continue telling “the stories of secret success” to sustain backing for the program. The statement tied CPRIT’s public support to its perceived bipartisan and statewide impact, noting “everyone has suffered from cancer or knows someone who has.”

No formal action, vote or directive regarding CPRIT was recorded in the transcript of this item.