The Honorable Talmadge Heflin, director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s (TPPF) Center for Fiscal Policy and former chairman of the Texas House Committee on Appropriations, and TPPF Economist Dr. Vance Ginn issued the following statement on the Texas Senate’s passage of Senate Bill 9 that containing spending limit reform:
“We applaud the work done today by the Texas Senate to fundamentally reform the state’s spending limit. It’s a good day in Texas as the reforms passed by the Senate today will help safeguard Texans from higher future taxes and fees.” said Heflin. “The new limit will cover more than half the budget and be based on population and inflation. These are key reforms that will contribute to limiting the growth of the footprint of state government.”
“The spending limit reforms passed today by the Texas Senate are vital to assure Texans that their government is being good stewards of taxpayer dollars. This is a remarkable feat after many tries in the past of reforming the state’s spending limit failed,” said Ginn. “The reforms are necessary as the state’s total budget is up more than increases in population growth and inflation since 2004. By putting safeguards in place, Texans will have more opportunities to prosper as more money is left in their capable hands.”
The Honorable Talmadge Heflin is the Director of the Center for Fiscal Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. In the 78th Session, Heflin served as chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations.
Vance Ginn, Ph.D. is an Economist in the Center for Fiscal Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.