Monday, May 30, 2011: Governor Perry Press Release Austin, Texas Gov. Rick Perry tonight announced a special session of the Texas Legislature will begin at 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 31. "We have taken great strides this session to strengthen Texas' economic environment and protect private property rights, victims of human trafficking and the unborn, but critical work remains to ensure we have a balanced budget that provides essential services without raising taxes, while protecting the Rainy Day Fund for future emergencies," Gov. Perry said. "I urge lawmakers to work quickly to complete the important work Texans expect us to finish." The special session will consider the following issues: • Legislation relating to fiscal matters necessary for the implementation of House Bill No. 1 as passed by the 82nd Legislature, Regular Session, including measures that will allow school districts to operate more efficiently. • Legislation relating to healthcare cost containment, access to services through managed care, and the creation of economic and structural incentives to improve the quality of Medicaid services. |
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Accurate or Inaccurate? What do you think? re: Governor Perry's Quote from his 5/30/11 Press Release on the Special Session
Monday, May 30, 2011
Republicans Voting No - Why This Budget is a Fraud
Dear Take Back Texas Alliance Members and Supporters:
Here is a story in the Texas Tribune that is worth reading. The Rs and Ds who crossed party lines were asked to explain their positions. Of particular interest are the comments made by 4 of the 5 Republicans who voted against the budget, such as the $500M in special interest money contained in it and the accounting gimmicks which will cause Medicaid to run out of money in February 2013 (David Simpson of Longview), Will Hartnett (Dallas), who lamented the lack of Rainy Day spending, observing that most of it will be spent anyway, and Raul Torres (Corpus Christi), stating that the accounting gimmicks are probably unconstitutional and will simply create a monstrous problem for the next Legislature to address.
In closing, let's give three cheers for Senator Wendy Davis, D-Ft. Worth, whose filibuster caused the death of SB 1811, the school finance bill that was brought to a vote for the first time in either body after having little more than a day to read it. By the way, this bill had a rider attached to it that would allow the DPS to deny anyone a driver's license without even having to give a reason. It's such a great thing to know that the Republicans believe in due process and individual liberty!
Tom Archer
President – Take Back Texas Alliance
"No New Texas"- Kids Well Texas Video
he story of damages from budget cuts unfolds: Info taken from a posting on the "Progress Texas" Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ProgressTexas?sk=wall |
Defending Our Freedom: DON'T MOURN...ORGANIZE
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Texas Cuts Essential Services While Giving Tax Breaks So Rich Can Buy Yachts
Texas is cutting public education, health care, & community-based service options for people with disabilities, but giving a tax break so rich can buy yachts:
STATEMENT: Rodriguez Stands with Sen. Davis
--- On Mon, 5/30/11, Emily Amps <Emily.Amps@senate.state.tx.us> wrote:
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Sunday, May 29, 2011
CPPP STATEMENT ON STATE BUDGET FOR 2012-13
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 26, 2011
Contact: F. Scott McCown, mccown@cppp.org
900 Lydia Street • Austin, Texas 78702-2625 • T 512/320-0222 • F 512/320-0227 • http://www.cppp.org/
CPPP STATEMENT ON STATE BUDGET FOR 2012-13
(AUSTIN, Texas)─Center for Public Policy Priorities Executive Director F. Scott McCown released the following statement today in response to the budget committee conferees agreeing on the state budget for 2012-13.
"If the Legislature adopts this budget, the Legislature will have failed to meet the needs of Texas.
"The far right’s demand that our state’s revenue crisis be addressed by cuts alone instead of through a balanced approach that uses the Rainy Day Fund and adds new revenue has forced damaging cuts to essential state services. For the present biennium, 2010-11, the state’s general revenue budget totals $90 billion (roughly $82 billion in state general revenue and $8 billion in federal recovery dollars). To provide the same public services in 2012-13, because of more people and higher costs, the Legislature would have to spend at least $99 billion in general revenue. The conferees’ budget deal (with HB 4) would appropriate just under $80.7 billion, leaving the state short more than $18 billion—about $5 billion of which would have gone to public education. at least $99 billion in general revenue. The conferees’ budget deal (with HB 4) would appropriate just under $80.7 billion, leaving the state short more than $18 billion—about $5 billion of which would have gone to public education.
"A balanced approach was the better choice.
"The Legislature could easily have written a 12- or 18-month budget, giving the economy time to improve. Or the Legislature could have taken a balanced approach to the state’s traditional 24-month budget—one that included cuts, but also used much more of the state’s $9.7 billion Rainy Day Fund and added new revenue. Rather than use the Rainy Day Fund to protect Texans during an economic downturn (the fund’s constitutional purpose), the far right demanded that Texans "protect" the Rainy Day Fund. This irrational demand was merely a tactic to force the Legislature to gut education and rip our state’s safety net. In the face of our revenue crisis, refusing to add new revenue—not even revenue from closing unwarranted tax loopholes—is unconscionable. The Legislature could easily have written a 12- or 18-month budget, giving the economy time to improve. Or the Legislature could have taken a balanced approach to the state’s traditional 24-month budget—one that included cuts, but also used much more of the state’s $9.7 billion Rainy Day Fund and added new revenue. Rather than use the Rainy Day Fund to protect Texans during an economic downturn (the fund’s constitutional purpose), the far right demanded that Texans "protect" the Rainy Day Fund. This irrational demand was merely a tactic to force the Legislature to gut education and rip our state’s safety net. In the face of our revenue crisis, refusing to add new revenue—not even revenue from closing unwarranted tax loopholes—is unconscionable.
"The next Legislature will face a fiscal mess in 2013.
"Even with strong economic growth, the next Legislature will face a fiscal mess in 2013. The Texas population will continue to grow. Costs for goods and services will continue to go up. Yet our state’s major tax will still be a sales tax on goods, a tax designed for yesterday’s economy. And our state’s business tax will still be flawed in design, again producing a $10 billion per biennium structural deficit. And, of course, all the steps taken to balance this biennium’s budget will make balancing the next budget even harder, for example, one-time accounting adjustments, unrealistic cost-saving assumptions, and a projected $4.8 billion Medicaid deficit.
"Texans must insist on a tax system that can meet the state’s needs.
"Texas has the resources in its trillion-dollar economy to meet today’s needs and to build a prosperous future, but until our state fixes its tax system, it will never have adequate revenue to do so. Instead, Texas will spiral downward session after session with one round of cutting after the next. Between now and 2013, we must all work together to build the public will for responsible tax reform.
The Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) is a non-profit, non-partisan policy institute committed to improving public polices to better the economic and social conditions of low- and moderate-income Texans. We pursue this mission to achieve our vision for a BETTER TEXAS. You can learn more about CPPP at www.cppp.org.
Contact: F. Scott McCown, mccown@cppp.org
900 Lydia Street • Austin, Texas 78702-2625 • T 512/320-0222 • F 512/320-0227 • http://www.cppp.org/
CPPP STATEMENT ON STATE BUDGET FOR 2012-13
(AUSTIN, Texas)─Center for Public Policy Priorities Executive Director F. Scott McCown released the following statement today in response to the budget committee conferees agreeing on the state budget for 2012-13.
"If the Legislature adopts this budget, the Legislature will have failed to meet the needs of Texas.
"The far right’s demand that our state’s revenue crisis be addressed by cuts alone instead of through a balanced approach that uses the Rainy Day Fund and adds new revenue has forced damaging cuts to essential state services. For the present biennium, 2010-11, the state’s general revenue budget totals $90 billion (roughly $82 billion in state general revenue and $8 billion in federal recovery dollars). To provide the same public services in 2012-13, because of more people and higher costs, the Legislature would have to spend at least $99 billion in general revenue. The conferees’ budget deal (with HB 4) would appropriate just under $80.7 billion, leaving the state short more than $18 billion—about $5 billion of which would have gone to public education. at least $99 billion in general revenue. The conferees’ budget deal (with HB 4) would appropriate just under $80.7 billion, leaving the state short more than $18 billion—about $5 billion of which would have gone to public education.
"A balanced approach was the better choice.
"The Legislature could easily have written a 12- or 18-month budget, giving the economy time to improve. Or the Legislature could have taken a balanced approach to the state’s traditional 24-month budget—one that included cuts, but also used much more of the state’s $9.7 billion Rainy Day Fund and added new revenue. Rather than use the Rainy Day Fund to protect Texans during an economic downturn (the fund’s constitutional purpose), the far right demanded that Texans "protect" the Rainy Day Fund. This irrational demand was merely a tactic to force the Legislature to gut education and rip our state’s safety net. In the face of our revenue crisis, refusing to add new revenue—not even revenue from closing unwarranted tax loopholes—is unconscionable. The Legislature could easily have written a 12- or 18-month budget, giving the economy time to improve. Or the Legislature could have taken a balanced approach to the state’s traditional 24-month budget—one that included cuts, but also used much more of the state’s $9.7 billion Rainy Day Fund and added new revenue. Rather than use the Rainy Day Fund to protect Texans during an economic downturn (the fund’s constitutional purpose), the far right demanded that Texans "protect" the Rainy Day Fund. This irrational demand was merely a tactic to force the Legislature to gut education and rip our state’s safety net. In the face of our revenue crisis, refusing to add new revenue—not even revenue from closing unwarranted tax loopholes—is unconscionable.
"The next Legislature will face a fiscal mess in 2013.
"Even with strong economic growth, the next Legislature will face a fiscal mess in 2013. The Texas population will continue to grow. Costs for goods and services will continue to go up. Yet our state’s major tax will still be a sales tax on goods, a tax designed for yesterday’s economy. And our state’s business tax will still be flawed in design, again producing a $10 billion per biennium structural deficit. And, of course, all the steps taken to balance this biennium’s budget will make balancing the next budget even harder, for example, one-time accounting adjustments, unrealistic cost-saving assumptions, and a projected $4.8 billion Medicaid deficit.
"Texans must insist on a tax system that can meet the state’s needs.
"Texas has the resources in its trillion-dollar economy to meet today’s needs and to build a prosperous future, but until our state fixes its tax system, it will never have adequate revenue to do so. Instead, Texas will spiral downward session after session with one round of cutting after the next. Between now and 2013, we must all work together to build the public will for responsible tax reform.
The Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) is a non-profit, non-partisan policy institute committed to improving public polices to better the economic and social conditions of low- and moderate-income Texans. We pursue this mission to achieve our vision for a BETTER TEXAS. You can learn more about CPPP at www.cppp.org.
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