Governor gives lawmakers his state budget priorities

On Feb. 17, Gov. Greg Abbott delivered his first  State of the State address during a joint session of the Texas House and Senate and released his recommendations for the two-year 2016-2017 state budget. In his 43-page Governor’s Budget document, Abbott said he aims to: “Constrain the size and growth of government. Reduce agency spending. Suspend, reduce, and eliminate unnecessary taxes and fees. Ensure government supports job creation and is accountable and transparent.” Abbott is recommending general revenue spending of $99.4 billion for 2016-2017, slightly less than a 5 percent increase in general revenue spending compared with the current budget. “By keeping spending levels lower than the growth in population plus inflation, we can ensure that the size of government does not grow. This allows Texas to significantly reduce tax burdens,” Abbott asserted, and promoted the building of the budget on the following “core principles”:

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