Unlike most states, Texas is fairing fairly well the national economic downturn. That was the presentation State Rep. John Otto (R-Dayton) made last week at the National Conference of State Legislatures. He was quick to note that this is due to a host of factors in the state (including an increase in severance taxes) but is something that could change if we are not reticent when it comes to raising taxes and more aggressive in limiting our growth of government.

NCSL held their annual meeting in New Orleans, with legislators meeting to collaborate on state-level governing issues.

Several interesting sessions were chaired by Texas representatives. State Rep. Otto chaired two panels, one on state budgets and the other on property tax. Taxpayer champion Linda Harper-Brown (R-Irving) chaired a panel on public-private partnerships.

In her comments, Harper-Brown stressed the importance of ongoing oversight and the need to protect the interest of the public coffers in creating partnerships. Brown noted that too often “partnerships” are hastily entered into, and taxpayers end up bearing a higher cost.

Daniel Greer

Daniel Greer is the Director of Innovation for Texas Scorecard.

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