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Texas Legislature Opens 83rd Session Amid Differences on How to Deal With Surprising Budget Surplus

Posted byHoumanitarian
Video Link: Houston-Area Lawmakers Discuss Balancing State Budget
(KHOU 11 News)

Jay Root, Texas Tribune
Gov. Rick Perry warned Texas lawmakers Tuesday not to start making grand plans for the multi-billion dollar budget surplus and the growing Rainy Day Fund.

Addressing the state Senate on the opening day of the 2013 legislative session, Perry said special interest groups already are eyeing the excess cash as “the equivalent of ringing the dinner bell.”

“In the face of that kind of pressure, we have to remember that Monday’s revenue estimate is not a chance to spend freely but an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to the very policies that made Texas economically strong,” the governor said. “It’s also a chance to put our fiscal house in order for years to come.”

Per tradition, the revenue estimate came a day before the Legislature convened for its regular, 140-day session. Comptroller Susan Combs estimated the state has $8.8 billion left over from the last two-year budget and said the emergency Rainy Day Fund — fattened with revenues from a booming oil patch — will grow to almost $12 billion by the end of the next one.

Without getting into many specifics, Perry said he opposed using money from the Rainy Day Fund for “ongoing expenses,” and called on the Legislature to resist “any and all new tax or tax increases.” He said he favored “tax relief,” too, though he didn’t elaborate.

Perry’s remarks ignore some pressing issues for the state, said state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston.

“It’s a good political speech, but the bottom line is we need to put more money into public education and deal with the dropout rate,” he said, adding, “There is not a state agency in this state that is being adequately funded.”
(Read more of this story at the Texas Tribune)

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