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Thousands of Texans Demand Budget Reform

Real Spending Limits, Budget Transparency Highlighted In Letters

AUSTIN, Texas – By the thousands, Texans are demanding that the legislature act now on significant budget reforms that will provide for a strong spending limit and real spending transparency.

Thousands of postcards and letters from Texas voters to their legislators were presented at a Capitol press conference this morning. They were then hand-delivered to the legislators’ offices. (Sign the letter online!)

More Taxes, Courtesy of Republican Fred Hill

There was once a time when Republicans were known as the tax-cutters; people who – if nothing else – would work to make sure the taxpayers’ money stayed in the taxpayers’ wallet (as State Rep. Rob Eissler likes to say).

That was then, this is now. State Rep. Fred Hill (R-Richardson) wants to raise your local taxes. Sure, he wants to start with the Dallas-Fort Worth area. But don’t worry; this new tax will spread like a virus to every city in Texas. He is pushing a bill to let those cities raise their sales tax to fund mass transit. (Never mind that mass transit is usually spelled “B-O-O-N-D-O-G-G-L-E.” or, in the original French, “P-O-R-K”)

House Votes to Stop Appraisal Districts from Suing Taxpayers

While little has been accomplished this session for taxpayers so far, some good news came todwharton countyay when the House unanimously  passed HB3490 which will prevent appraisal districts from suing property taxpayers when they win their appeal before the Appraisal Review Board (ARB).  This common sense measure, which was triggered by a recent Wharton County case, that protects taxpayers from government-funded lawsuits when they have already won their case will now go to the Senate.  The bill only applies if the value of the property is less than $1 million.

House Passes an Appraisal Relief Bill – Will the Senate Follow?

Last week, the Texas House finally passed a piece of property tax relief taxeslegislation, voting in favor of HB216 by Rep. John Otto (R-Dayton) by a margin of 87-53.  This bill allows appraisal districts a margin of error of 10 percent, instead of the current 5 percent, in appraising properties.  While the Texas Constitution prohibits a statewide appraisal, the Comptroller's Property Value Study (PVS) is used to reduce school equalization funds to districts taht are below 5 percent in the sample of properties evaluated by the PVS.

Super-Subsidize Me

 

It's getting increasingly easy to get on the government gravy train. From movie studio execs to Ph.D. families, the hand-outs just don't end in this Republican-controlled legislature. Small government. Right…

This week, the Texas Senate's Finance Committee is considering a hand-out to mega-rich movie moguls threatening to take their latte's and go shoot their TV shows somewhere else.

Pauken Tries to Push Property Tax Relief Up the Hill

The Tyler Morning Telegraph has a revealing story today (see link or below) in hillwhich Tom Pauken, the chair of the Governor's Property Tax Reform Task Force, is quoted stating how disappointed he is with the lack of progress so far.  He speaks candidly about what he sees as the primary obstacle to significant protections to control skyrocketing appraisals: Representative Fred Hill, Chairman of the House Local Ways and Means Committee.  Referring to Hill as "hard-headed," Pauken notes that Hill has so far blocked all but the most cosmetic reforms. 

Senator Patrick Goes to Bat for Taxpayers – Identifies Nearly $3 Billion in Spending Cuts to Save Taxpayers’ Money

Senator Dan Patrick has once again demonstrated that he is not afraid to patrickrock the boat in order to stand up for taxpayers.   He not only voted against a $152 billion Senate budget ($2 billion more than the House version) but further listed over $2.9 billion in specific cuts he would make.   This is a gutsy move on behalf of taxpayers.  His proposed cuts appear below.  Of course, there are arguments that some of these programs are within the legitimate role of government and deserve funding, but Senator Patrick is right on target and, at the very least, these cuts should have been debated.  

Pork in the State Budget?

The McAporkllen Monitor reported that the new $150 billion House budget for the 2008-09 biennium includes some arguably pork barrel expenditures – most of those mentioned are earmarks for projects in the Rio Grande Valley. Among the taxpayer-funded projects mentioned are:

‘Cut and Run’ Republicans?

So the cut-and-run retreat of Republicans from conservative values and principles continued this week. While the modern French are widely known for a willingness to surrender before a battle is fought, it seems Republicans in the Texas House are even willing to retreat from settled victory!

 

Republican legislators voted to unravel the reforms to the Children’s Health Insurance Program, with only 19 legislators exhibiting any backbone. The rest? Cut and ran; they’d rather be loved by the left than govern from the right. (Here’s the list of the Republicans: The Good, The Trying Hard, and the Cut-And-Run Caucus.)

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