From:	David Guenthner
Sent:	Tuesday, January 11, 2011 12:14 PM
To:	Gardner Selby
Subject:	RE: False, Heflin statement

Gardner -

The $27 billion shortfall figure being promoted by liberal groups is nothing more than a tally of the 
Legislative Appropriations Requests submitted by the various state agencies.  The Legislature is not 
obligated to use those in the base bill, and routinely reduces those requests at the start of the budgeting 
process.

Additionally, the $27 billion figure does not factor for the budget reductions already ordered by the 
state leadership.  Once those are officially implemented through supplemental appropriations or other 
legislative actions, that will reduce the current budget deficit by up to $2 billion, and thus increase the 
available revenue for the next biennium by an identical amount.

Finally, as Comptroller Susan Combs specifically said yesterday, her revenue estimate is only one part of 
the budget equation.  The other comes when the LBB releases its base budget (which we hear is on 
Friday).  Once you put those documents together, we will know the amount of the starting shortfall -- or 
if there even is one.  The House leadership has publicly stated that they intend to introduce a budget 
within available revenue; if they follow through on that commitment, there would be no shortfall.

Please feel free to contact Talmadge if you have additional questions.

Dave

-----Original Message-----
From: Gardner Selby [mailto:wgselby@statesman.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 11:59 AM
To: David Guenthner
Subject: False, Heflin statement

  David:

Happy session to you.

As you know, Talmadge Heflin closes his Monday blog post saying that claims that Texas is $27 billion in 
the red are false. Does he me he doesn't think there's a $27 billion 2012-13 revenue shortfall? If not, 
what does he mean?

Thanks.

-- 

W. Gardner Selby
Editor, PolitiFact Texas
Austin American-Statesman

Visit our site: www.politifacttexas.com
We're also on Facebook and Twitter and so am I as twitter.com/gardnerselby
512-445-3644


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