Guest Column: How to Bridge the Budget Gap
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ve told lawmakers repeatedly that the task of balancing our state’s budget this go-round would be difficult but doable. Now, as the clock counts down to the end of the regular session on May 30, it’s fair to ask our leaders to meet our needs, not our wants.
The House and Senate budgets may seem worlds — or billions of dollars — apart in their budgets for state spending over the next two years. To bridge the $6 billion to $7 billion gap in their versions of the budget, there ...
Comments (7)
Nancy Newton via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I'm willing to listen .. as long as it does not obligate us to the feds ...
Michelle Bafik-Vehslage via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Good Idea... Use money you have.. Save jobs, puts money back into the Economy... Why can't "some"people figure this out ???
Brett Baldwin
I have a real easy solution to the Budget shortfall. The Texas Legislature needs to implement a new annual Business Licensing Fee where the Business fee is $10,000 per employee (includes contractors). If the Business voluntarily uses E-Verify to certify annually that there employees are all legal to work in the USA, then the Business gets a $10,000 credit for each employee that is certified by E-Verify.
If all of the Business employees or contractors are legal there is NO fee.
Since there are over 1 million illegal aliens working in Texas, if 50% of Business owners don't want to use E-Verify they just go ahead and pay the $10,000 fee x 500,000 illegal workers = $5 BILLION dollars in new revenue that will help close to almost single-handily close the Budget gap.
How about it Bill Hammond and the TAB?
Surely, for the good of Texas and the urgent need to close the Budget Gap, Bill and the TAB will agreed to support this and not kill in the the House committee.
Bill Hammond and the TAB have single-handily given over $1 million dollars over the past few TX House election cycles to ensure that an E-Verify bill does not pass out of the House committee. Speaker Straus and his committee chairs have followed their orders faithfully to kill any E-Verify bill.
Bill Hammond and the TAB need to help pay for the $8.4 BILLION dollars every year that illegal aliens are costing the State of Texas Taxpayers.
How about it Bill Hammond and the TAB?
Are you willing to let an E-Verify bill pass this session in the Texas Legislature?
Please answer in your next Guest Column. Otherwise, we know you are all talk and don't really care about Texas.
Proud Texan
Gambling? Really? Is that a sound business plan? Ironic that TAB is advocating an unstable, regressive program that benefits a few out of state casino owners.
Mike Johnson
Bill,
Sure wish the gambling legislation would progress... I'm tired of us keeping Oklahoma and Louisiana afloat with our dollars. The fact that the WinStar casino in OK is the 3rd largest in the U.S. is troubling enough.
Lots of us are sitting on the sidelines waiting to hear what's going to happen to the bottle bill (HB-1119). Will Smith ever give it a hearing?
Elmo
Hammond has long been Rick Perry's best bud. Years ago he came out for all those coal plants that Rick Perry fastracked including 5 in Mclennan County. The only thing he said I agree with is the gambling issue otherwise he is a clueless as Perry
Dale Curry
This from a man that should share DeLay's Prision Cell. Texas Association of Busneess was indicted for it's role in the DeLay Money laundering scheme. What a sad excuse for a commentator.