TX Stimulus Fund
This was the official website to explain and promote what Texas would do with the millions of dollars they were expecting from the the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Content is from the site's 2009 archived pages.
Texas House of Representatives
Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding
Dear Fellow Texan,
Our country and our state face economic challenges the likes of which we have not seen in a generation or more.
Unemployment is up. The stock market is down. And middle-class Texas families are struggling with out of control utility bills, skyrocketing college tuition rates and some of the most expensive homeowners’ insurance in the country.
In response to the national economic crisis, the U.S. Congress recently passed – and President Obama signed into law – the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, also known as the federal economic stimulus bill. This $787 billion combination of tax cuts and funding for infrastructure development and job creation is an historic opportunity to invest in the future.
While Members of the Texas House did not have the opportunity to approve or disapprove of the stimulus, it is our obligation to ensure that the funds are spent with accountability and transparency. We cannot waste tax dollars, or miss the opportunity to make this one-time source of funds for work for Texans.
The bill contains billions of dollars in tax cuts. The “Making Work Pay” tax credit will provide a $400 cut for individuals making up to $75,000 per year, and $800 for families making up to $150,000. Texas homebuyers will benefit from an $8,000 tax credit, and families buying new vehicles may take advantage of a new tax deduction for state and local sales taxes paid on new car purchases.
In Texas, our state will see almost $3 billion in investments intended to be spent on improving our state’s transportation infrastructure by building new highways and bridges.
Texas public schools stand to receive as much as $6 billion in support from the stimulus. And our health care system may see as much as $6 billion in the form of assistance to low-income, under-insured families and uninsured children.
Finally, by putting doing what is right for Texas first – and politics last – our state can assist laid-off workers with up to $500 million in unemployment assistance.
Texas taxpayers deserve nothing less then to have their state’s leaders working overtime on protect the future for all our families. It is my hope that www.txstimulusfund.com will be a resource for businesses, community leaders, and families across our state. Our priorities are providing transparency and accountability, and ensuring that in Texas, the stimulus is used to put our state to work for years to come.
Jim Dunnam
Chairman – Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding
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About Texas Stimulus Fund
PROCLAMATION
APPOINTMENT OF SELECT COMMITTEE ON FEDERAL ECONOMIC STABILIZATION FUNDING
Because of the current economic situation and its effect on state revenues needed to fund essential state services, pursuant to Rule 1, Section 16, of the House Rules, I, Joe Straus, speaker of the house, create the House Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding.
The committee shall monitor actions of the federal government, including legislation and regulations, related to efforts to promote economic recovery by providing federal funds to the states. Specifically, the committee shall examine federal funding made available to the state in areas of transportation, health care, and education and communicate with federal officials to determine appropriate state legislation needed to maximize the state's receipt of federal funds. Further, the committee shall investigate the efforts undertaken by other states to obtain federal funding in these areas.
Consistent with the jurisdiction of the House Committee on Appropriations in Rule 3, Section 2, of the House Rules, the select committee shall make recommendations to any standing committee of the house regarding legislation necessary for the state to receive federal funds for economic recovery.
The committee shall have nine members. The following members are hereby appointed to the Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding:
The Honorable Jim Dunnam, Chair
The Honorable Myra Crownover, Vice Chair
The Honorable Garnet Coleman
The Honorable Drew Darby
The Honorable Craig Eiland
The Honorable Carol Kent
The Honorable Solomon Ortiz, Jr.
The Honorable Jim Pitts
The Honorable Vicki Truitt
February 12, 2009
Joe Straus
Speaker of the House
The federal economic stimulus provides an historic opportunity to invest in the future of our state. At txstimulusfund.com, our goals are to provide accountability and transparency for Texas taxpayers, and to ensure that stimulus funds are used to invest in the future of our state.
At the House Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding, we hope that www.txstimulusfund.com will be a resource for families, business owners, elected officials and concerned citizens across Texas. This website will be updated regularly so that we can provide the greatest transparency and accountability for this process. Working together we can see that the stimulus works for Texas, and all our families.
Now we realize that for many people the rules and regulations can seem overwhelming. It's all sounds wonderful that these resources for families, business owners, elected officials and concerned citizens across Texas will be helpful. Think of what's required to have a dog, not the responsibility for care, but the responsibility to government. Most localities require a license, and some require proof of innoculations, etc. Some communities require a separate local registration. Lots to remember. But let's face it, many people have a hard time even making decisions and then implementing. There are many "homeless" dogs because of this. If a dog owner is compromised, the animal suffers. We've read stories of people able to use a computer to place an online order for something as specific as a circular dog bed yet routinely forget to feed the dog. Too many choices can be overwhelming and result in a complete shutdown of a person's ability to get anything done. Transparency is all nice and good, but if you offer too many options and require lots of reading and analysis, you are going to lose folks. Good luck to all those of the select committee who will be making recommendations to any standing committee of the house regarding legislation necessary for the state to receive federal funds for economic recovery. May God help you be successful. I'm sticking with the simpler things, like getting that dog bed for my pooch.
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Committee Hearings
Each hearing of the Select Committee and all accompanying documents are organized here by date. Each link on this webpage will take you to an agenda for that date, an archive of that hearing, and every document that was given to the Select Committee on that date. Future committee hearing dates will show the tentative subject matter to be heard on that day.