Dunnam Statement On State Spending Cap

[Statement Of House Democratic Leader Jim Dunnam (D-Waco)]

AUSTIN– State Representative Jim Dunnam issued the following statement today in response to the House of Representatives passing SCR 20, a resolution to exceed the state spending limit:

“I am dismayed that the legislature busted the state spending cap today without any public input.  Void of public scrutiny and without committee hearings, this proposal was rushed through the legislature in an effort to avoid debate on the state’s spending priorities.

“This amounts to putting the cart before the horse.  Just like any family seeking to prioritize its spending, the legislature should determine how much money we have, what our priorities are and how much they cost, and only then is it appropriate to decide how to spend that money.

“It is totally irresponsible to give away a blank check to allow exceeding the state spending limit without knowing what will be in the budget.  Both the Speaker of the House and the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee have said publicly—and on separate occasions—that there was no legitimate reason to authorize exceeding the state spending limit today rather than after we see and review the budget.  The legislature should have clearly outlined its spending priorities before busting the constitutional spending cap.  The process suffered today.

“I take my responsibility to fight for Texas families very seriously.  That means increasing teacher pay so that we can attract the best talent to teach our children, fully funding needed school textbook purchases, ensuring pre-K grants and increasing the homestead exemption to provide true tax breaks for the vast majority of middle class Texans.  Unfortunately those priorities were rejected.  House Democrats will continue to work to meet the priorities of all Texas families.”