“Today’s LBB vote for a state spending limit greater than population growth and inflation opens the door to a budget that increases the cost of government on every Texan.  We appreciate the verbal commitments today by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Senate Finance Chairman Tommy Williams that the Senate’s budget will not pass through that door, but we urge the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker, and Comptroller to close that door when they finally set the state spending limit during the next 10 days.

“Texas’ state spending has grown at more than twice the rate of population and inflation since 1990. The 2012-13 Texas state budget is a welcome break from that trend, but with the threat of a national recession looming, now is not the time to lose fiscal discipline. There is no reason during the next two years we should have to spend above population and inflation in order to fund the core functions of state government.”

Signatories include:

Talmadge Heflin – Director, Center for Fiscal Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation;

Michael Quinn Sullivan – President, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility;

JoAnn Fleming – Executive Director, Grassroots America-We The People;

Peggy Venable – Director, Americans for Prosperity-Texas; and

Patrick Gleason – Director of State Affairs, Americans for Tax Reform.

– 30 –