AUSTIN, Texas (March 19, 2012) – A bold new plan to tackle Texas’s growing budget crisis will be unveiled March 20 at a press conference hosted by Texans for a Conservative Budget Coalition. The coalition’s members include The Heartland Institute, Texas Public Policy Foundation, Americans for Tax Reform, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, and the Texas chapters of Americans for Prosperity and American Majority
Government spending in the Lone Star State has risen 310 percent between 1990 and 2012, and the 83rd Texas Legislature will have to appropriate an additional $4 billion to $6 billion in 2013 just to keep pace. If lawmakers fail to pull in the reins, Texas families could soon face more than $1,200 a year in higher fees and taxes.
With budgetary gimmicks largely exhausted during the 2011 session, now must begin the hard work of reforming how Texas funds and operates state and local government. The report, “Real Texas Budget Solutions: 2013 and Beyond,” lays out a road map for reform that includes revamping public and higher education, shifting to program-based budgeting, reducing health care and social welfare spending, implementing tax and expenditure limits, and cutting unnecessary programs and subsidies, including to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association.
“As Texas faces another large budget shortfall, it is critical to prioritize essential government functions,” said Julie Drenner, Texas director of The Heartland Institute’s Center on Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate. “Therefore, reducing spending through cutting non-essential agencies and subsidies is a must. Our battle cry this session is, ‘Reform it or eliminate it.'”
WHO: Representatives of The Heartland Institute, Texas Public Policy Foundation, Americans for Tax Reform, Americans for Prosperity, American Majority, and Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
WHAT: Release of Texans for a Conservative Budget Coalition’s roadmap for budget reform
WHEN: Tuesday, March 20, 1:30 p.m. CT
WHERE: Speaker’s Committee Room, 2nd Floor, Texas State Capitol
MEDIA: All media welcome. Participants available for interview during and after event.
The Heartland Institute is a 28-year-old national nonprofit organization with offices in Chicago, Illinois and Washington, DC. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.
