Senator Tommy Williams Distorts The Truth On State Spending
By Vince Leibowitz on Aug 7, 2007 in 80th Legislature
We at Capitol Annex always love reading about occasions when state legislators get to address their local chambers of commerce. Why? Because, as Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands) did in Kingwood recently, they sometimes make things sound far better than they were:
He also spoke on property taxes. “You told us your (property) taxes were too high and the Legislature should control the growth of state government…here’s what we did:
Repealed the Telecommunication Infrastructure Tax (effective 10/2008)State General Revenue expenditures grew by about 4.5% per year in our 08-09 state budget, far less than expected population + inflation growth.
The Legislature provided $14.2 billion for school property tax rate relief ($6.1b GR +8.2b dedicated funds…margin tax) in HB 2.
The Legislature did not spend every dime we could get our hands on there is roughly 4.0b in the “rainy day fund” and just under 3.0b in un-appropriated GR (total ~$7.0b) available to support property tax rate relief in the next budget.
Some of this is technically correct. But, it’s also misleading. Take, for instance:
The Legislature did not spend every dime we could get our hands on there is roughly 4.0b in the “rainy day fund” and just under 3.0b in un-appropriated GR (total ~$7.0b) available to support property tax rate relief in the next budget.
Actually, the Legislature did spend pretty much every penny it could get its hands upon except that paltry sum in the Rainy Day Fund. They spent the money on buying down property taxes.
What’s more, you busted the spending cap to accomplish the property-tax buy down. How can you say you didn’t spend “every penny you could get your hands on” when you voted in favor of SCR 20 to bust the spending cap? [See Senate Journal, 80th Legislature, Page 12]
Senator Williams then fielded questions from the group. And, of course, this one is funny, too:
State General Revenue expenditures grew by about 4.5% per year in our 08-09 state budget, far less than expected population + inflation growth.
You can make this claim because you voted along with your Republican colleagues to ensure that the spending to buy down property taxes was done by a vehicle separate and apart from the General Appropriations Act [See SCR 20, as enrolled]:
WHEREAS, Appropriations made by Senate Bill 2 are separate from and in addition to appropriations made by the general appropriations bill, Senate Bill 1, 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, or similar legislation;
It’s a technical truth only. Williams’ claims remind me of a famous exchange from the 1981 movie Absence of Malice, which I remember learning about back in Journalism I my sophomore year of high school. It went like this:
Sally: I need to know how to describe your relationship with Gallagher. Mac said to quote you directly. You can say whatever you want.
Meg Carter: Just… say we were involved.
Sally: That’s true, isn’t it?
Meg Carter: No. But it’s accurate.
True? No. Accurate? Kind of, but not quite.
The important point is that, if they left any money unspent, it was because they were hoarding it for property tax cuts in 2010-11. Not only did property tax cuts crowd out everything else in this budget, they’re already starting to crowd out everything else in the next budget.