AUSTIN – Arlene Wohlgemuth, Executive Director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation issued this statement today on the budget deliberations underway in the final week of the regular session of the 83rd Texas Legislature:
“The 83rd Texas Legislature had at its disposal close to $20 billion of new general revenue this session. To this point, it has allocated more than $6 billion of this for spending in the current biennium. So even with more than $13 billion in new general revenue on hand for next biennium, the Legislature hasn’t been able to find money for water projects and other priorities and provide taxpayers with a meaningful tax cut. This shows that insufficient attention is being paid to the one big thing Texans expect: curbing the growth of big government in the Lone Star State.
“There is still time for a responsible, fiscally conservative budget from this session — if the Legislature prioritizes needs over wants, and listens to Texans.”
The Honorable Arlene Wohlgemuth is the executive director and director of the Center for Health Care Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. She served 10 years in the Texas House of Representatives, specializing in health care issues.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin.
Primary website: www.TexasPolicy.com
Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/TexasPublicPolicyFoundation
Twitter feed: www.Twitter.com/TPPF
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