Senate Finance Committee Testimony

Wednesday, I testified before the Senate Finance Committee and discussed the Texas Department of Agriculture’s 2010-2011 budget request. TDA has taken on many additional responsibilities over the past few years and we hope to improve upon these services.

After holding discussions with producers, agribusinesses and professionals all across the state, we identified several exceptional items we believe need additional resources to better serve and protect all Texans.

TDA’s four main priorities are Agricultural Biosecurity, Consumer Protection, Economic Development and Healthy Lifestyles. I look forward to working with our dedicated members in the House and Senate as they draft a budget that ensures Texans receive necessary and efficient services that maximize the investment of state dollars.

Meetings with Fellow Texans on Legislative Priorities

Along with several other meetings today, Janet and I met with representatives from the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, City of Palestine, Cedar Creek Lake Area and the Texas Wildlife Association. These folks have taken the time to travel to Austin to ensure their legislators understand their priorities for Texas, for their communities and for their organizations.

The good news is Texas is in much better shape than our sister states, and to stay ahead of the curve, Texas is identifying cuts of 2.5 percent in the remainder of the 2009 general revenue state budget.

For the Texas Department of Agriculture, this equates to about $1.6 million, but it adds up to about $500 million statewide. Taxpayers can rest assured, here at TDA, we will continue our core mission of service and find efficiencies and savings to produce a balanced budget.

Texas families are having to make decisions with limited resources. Texas government must do the same.