Lara Keel’s Texas Lobbyist News: Texas Governor Rick Perry and Lt. Governor David Dewhurst Call for Constitutional Spending Limit.
The following is a digest of a press release from the Texas Governor’s website. Lara Keel and the Texas Lobby Group are offering this summary as a public service to Texas citizens, other Texas state lobbyists, Texas political consultants, Texas government officials, and other interested parties.
Governor Rick Perry has repeated his request for the Texas legislature to decrease spending by placing a stricter limit on state costs and expenditures, suggesting that a maximum should be set in place. Perry attributes Texas’s remarkable success in business and economics to the state’s low taxes and minimal business regulation. He believes that furthering and expanding upon traditional fiscally conservative principles will help the state continue to prosper. Perry believes in allowing breathing room for business, and that government should focus on “removing hurdles”, while maintaining basic and necessary government regulation.
Perry has organized five major principles for Texas’s financial/budget future under “The Texas Budget Compact”. These motions are an organized and moderated form of many of the basic fundamentals of a fiscally conservative budget plan. Five conservative principles have been proposed under this compact, with the goal of improving upon local business and the overall economy. Perry hopes that lawmakers will agree to practice honesty in budgeting, limitation of government spending, cutting of unnecessary programs/costs, work against new taxes or tax increases, and maintainance of a consistent “rainy day” fund.
“Texas is the national model when it comes to keeping state spending to a minimum,” Lt. Gov. Dewhurst said. “We take pride in the fact that Texas ranks 47th out of 50th per capita in state spending. A constitutional spending limit based on population and inflation growth will provide Texas greater stability when it comes to budgeting, ensure that the Lone Star State is prosperous for future generations and provide an example for Washington and the rest of the nation on how to govern responsibly.”
Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and Senator Dan Patrick both are working with Governor Perry to see this “Texas Budget Compact” become fully utilized. Dewhurst and Patrick are both invested in Texas’s long-term financial success and are committed to conservative spending. Senator Dan Patrick has stated that fiscal conservatism will be the top priority for him during the 2013 legislative session. Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst echoes this, stating that he hopes to continue to preserve minimal state spending, and therefore further stabilize the state’s economic condition.