By Raul Torres State Rep. Dist. 33
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas In a world of recession state officials from all over the United States have been given the unique opportunity to learn a valuable lesson in how they should govern. The lesson is: How to do more with less. Some states will take heed and make the right choices such as prioritizing their expenditures cutting spending & keeping taxes low. Some may not.
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas In a world of recession state officials from all over the United States have been given the unique opportunity to learn a valuable lesson in how they should govern. The lesson is: How to do more with less. Some states will take heed and make the right choices such as prioritizing their expenditures cutting spending & keeping taxes low. Some may not.
Needless to say other states will turn to tax increases higher fees and more government programs in their attempt to solve their states problems.
If we have learned anything from our past it is that raising taxes almost always create obstacles to economic growth and job losses and more unemployment.
On the other hand tax cuts have almost always resulted in an increase in personal income an increase in state revenues and an improvement in the quality of life for the people of the state. The choice is clear.
Maintaining Texas Competitive Advantage
For the past seven years or so Texas has been consistently ranked as one of the top states in the nation for job creation economic growth and for providing a favorable business climate according the a study by the Texas Conservative Coalition Research. Yet the future is filled with opportunity and many obstacles.
As legislators begin to carefully consider the many issues confronting the 82nd Legislative Session it would be wise for us to consider this question How does Texas maintain its 
competitive advantage?
The answer can be found in a study just released by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. To stay competitive Texas legislators must ensure that we:
- Reduce Texas Tax and Spending Burden. Reducing the size and cost of government is one of the key factors if we are to grow our state economy that will result in more jobs and higher state revenues.
- Stand Up Against Federal Overreach. If left unchecked Medicaid will soon threaten to bankrupt our state. If given ultimate control EPA overreach threatens to hurt and reduce the energy industry which is the very heart of our Texas economy.
- Improve Educational Quality for Texas Students. Despite rapid growth in education spending over the past 15 years additional education funding has failed to improve student outcomes. To improve education outcomes it will require some serious changes on how we deliver education to our areas of the state that are not meeting minimum standards. We must be bold daring and be ready to apply the best practices that are known to work in producing excellent results.
- Foster a Free Market Economy. People in Texas want to live work and do business in Texas so they can enjoy a higher quality of life for their families and profit from their investment of capital.
| News from Austin |
There wasnt much going on in Austin last week. The biggest news came out of the Senate who passed the Voter ID bill. My staff and I attended many meetings throughout the week with both consituents and lobby groups. The two key things accomplished on the House floor was the passage of HB 4 the Rules bill and I turned in my request for the following committee assignments:
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