Issue Position: Fiscal Responsibility and No New Taxes

Issue Position

I will fight to ensure that our state budget remains balanced with no new taxes. Since 2009, Texas has produced over 40% of the jobs for the entire nation. A major reason for this unprecedented economic growth is because of our state's limited government, predictable regulatory environment, and no state income tax. We must protect those economic drivers that have encouraged employers to relocate to our state, creating thousands of jobs.

But even though Texas is doing better than every other state, Texans are still hurting in this depressed national economy. We must ensure that Texas continues to live within its means, just like Texas families and businesses are forced to do when times are tough. That means no new taxes and instead a more efficient government that focuses on our priorities of public safety and a quality education for our children. Our goal should be to enhance revenue for the state by creating jobs and not asking our citizens to shoulder an additional tax burden.

The budget I voted for during the 83rd Session gives a raise to our state's correctional officers, DPS troopers and game wardens, while more than doubling the grant funding available for our volunteer fire departments. This budget guards against cuts to family violence programs, and appropriates additional funding for foster care programs. Multiple measure were put into place to help combat Medicaid fraud and abuse, in an effort to get our healthcare costs back under control.

The budget also included measures that end $400 million in diversions, using tax revenue for its originally intended purposes. This resulted in increased funding for roads, Texas Parks and Wildlife, the Texas Railroad Commission and the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan.

Additionally, the budget maintains fiscal discipline. Specifically, it provides $1.2 billion in tax relief for small businesses, is funded with available revenue, and stays more than $600 million below the state's constitutional spending limit for the upcoming biennium.

During the process there were many worthwhile areas of need, as well as many hard decisions that had to be made. In several areas, we cut or reduced funding to programs that we thought were overfunded or underachieving. Exceptional budget item requests far outweighed the state's revenue, but at the end of the day, I believe my colleagues and I made fiscally prudent and wise decisions.

With a focus on ending diversions, eliminating accounting gimmicks and appropriating funds to worthwhile programs, this budget is one that I am proud to support. Specifically, the budget ends the diversion of more than $800 million in dedicated accounts that had previously been used elsewhere to certify the budget.

Having a hand in the process of putting together our state budget, I was reassured, and want to assure all Texans, that this budget lives within our means and reflects the priorities of our great state.

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