Next Monday, Nov. 10, I officially join R Street as its new Texas director. I’ll be working on a variety of issues of critical importance to the Lone Star State, such as introducing the discipline of competition into the state’s windstorm insurance system, using markets to solve environmental problems and eliminating the regulatory barriers that prevent new emerging technologies from disrupting protected industries.

But there’s one issue that’s so pressing I can’t wait till my formal start date to tell you about it: limiting the growth in Texas’ budget.

Tomorrow, Nov. 6, the Texas Public Policy Foundation is hosting a lunch primer on the budget, titled “Would Texans benefit from a conservative Texas budget?” (Spoiler alert: the answer is yes). In the last decade, public spending in Texas has increased by an estimated 63 percent. Even controlling for inflation and increases in population, the average family of four in Texas is now paying $1,200 more a year to account for this additional spending.

Unless checked, the natural tendency of government is to grow. That’s why it is important to have real structural limits on state spending growth. R Street is proud to be a part of the Conservative Texas Budget Coalition, calling for a budget that limits spending growth to no more than population plus inflation (an estimated 6.2 percent). TPPF, which happens to be my current employer, is also a member of the coalition, and their primer will feature speakers from coalition partners TPPF, Americans for Tax Reform and Americans for Prosperity, explaining how spending discipline will benefit all Texans.

The event will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 pm in the Legislative Conference Center, Room E2.002 at the state Capitol. Lunch is provided. Y’all should come. And if you see me, be sure to say hello.

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