Lawmakers say state should override Rick Perry on stimulus
February 4, 2009
State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, is drafting a resolution that would give legislators the power to bypass the governor and request federal stimulus money. State Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, and Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, filed a similar resolution Monday.
Written by Andrew Kreighbaum, The El Paso Times
AUSTIN -- If Gov. Rick Perry doesn't request billions of federal dollars that Congress is preparing to make available to Texas, El Paso lawmakers want the Legislature to go after it.
State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, is drafting a resolution that would give legislators the power to bypass the governor and request federal stimulus money. State Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, and Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, filed a similar resolution Monday.
The U.S. House version of the $800-billion-plus stimulus package includes an amendment that allows state legislatures to request money if their state's governor does not. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., added the amendment out of concern that Republican South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford would not accept money designated for the state.
Like Sanford, Perry has been an outspoken critic of efforts to create a huge federal stimulus package. The two wrote a Wall Street Journal column in December that accused the federal government of leading the country into mountainous debt and a "bailout mentality."
Pickett said that because of the parameters the bill places on how the money is spent, states will be held accountable for wasteful spending.
"At the end of the day, when they pass the stimulus package, I think the governor will take the money with open arms," Pickett said.
Shapleigh said that until President Obama signs the stimulus bill, El Paso should not count on any specific amount, but he said significant money would be available for schools, health clinics and transportation infrastructure. Pre liminary figures indicate Texas could get about $15 billion from the package."To not take that money is simply irresponsible," Shapleigh said.
Alison Castle, spokeswoman for the governor, said the resolutions and lower-than-expected state revenue haven't changed the governor's position. But if the Senate does pass a version of the stimulus, Castle said, Perry won't hesitate to request money for the state.
U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Perry's likely opponent in the 2010 gubernatorial race, has said she wouldn't vote for the stimulus package that passed the U.S. House Jan. on 28. The Senate is considering a $900 billion version.
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