“I’m not surprised by Governor Perry’s order for state agencies to plan for a 10% cut in their budgets. Two years ago, the Governor asked agencies to do the exact same thing—plan. But those hypothetical cuts became a harsh reality. If the course from last interim continues, no one should be shocked when additional cuts for the current budget year occur, making the $15.5 billion cut deeper. It has become standard operation for Governor Perry to ask for cuts in current spending and not just future spending. That’s why he’s given our agencies a heads up that they “may be asked to reduce their fiscal year 2013 budgets should state fiscal conditions warrant it.”
Even though some programs like Medicaid, CHIP, and the Foundation School Program are excepted from this order, so many of our state’s crucial programs and services are still on the chopping block. Public universities and community colleges, abuse and neglect investigations under Child and Adult Protective Services, prison and criminal justice systems, transportation, and mental health are just a handful of essential services at risk of being cut.”

State Representative Garnet Coleman’s Press Release Statement on Governor Perry’s Order for State Agencies to Plan for Cuts To Their Budgets By 10%