Citizens and representatives from across Texas gave testimony Wednesday afternoon before a select committee of representatives at the Capitol regarding the allocation of stimulus funds to local governments.
The Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding, headed by state Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, has the job of allocating nearly $8 billion in funding for Medicaid, food stamps and unemployment insurance reforms, with an added $30 billion to local governments and organizations around the state.
The committee said that if Texas’ share of stimulus money is spent wisely, it has the potential to generate $21 billion in economic activity and stabilize the Texas economy.
“We want to make sure [the committee] is doing this process as openly and responsibly as possible,” Dunnam said. “We don’t want to hear that our communities are not maximizing the stimulus money they are receiving.”
Penny Redington, the executive director for the Texas Association of Regional Councils, said she attended Wednesday’s meeting to explain to the committee how councils of government will handle the funds they will receive.
“State agencies can’t deal with everything,” Redington said. “[Councils of government] serve as an interface between state agencies and local judiciaries. We’re trying to help find regional solutions to local problems.”
In her testimony, Redington said she wants to make sure the appropriated stimulus money reaches Texas communities in the most efficient and beneficial way possible by reaching those most affected by the economic downturn.
“Communities are looking to see that this stimulus money is going to the highest number of people as efficiently as possible,” said Jim Reed, the executive director for the Central Texas Council of Governments. “We are uniquely positioned to see that this money does that.”
Representatives from various organizations spoke before the committee, including individuals from Texas Appleseed, an organization that supports funding discipline and behavior programs to solve educational problems; Texas retiree organizations, which are lobbying for Texas retirees to receive benefits from the stimulus; and representatives from Houston and Corpus Christi.
“We’ve heard a lot about the stimulus plan, but we haven’t gotten a lot of information on it,” said Roy Floyd, the mayor of Bonham, before the meeting.
Floyd said that Bonham, a rural community in North Texas with a population of 9,990, needs funds for highway construction and low-income housing. Floyd said he was attending the meeting to make sure small, rural towns around Texas don’t get overlooked by the committee.
“We think there are a lot of projects that can be done to stimulate the rural economy in Texas,” Floyd said. “We’re really afraid smaller cities will not be a part of the stimulus.”
1 comments
The USA was founded with a healthy opposition to large governments. There are few things a government can do cheeper and better than a productive Citizen. The major problem is the unproductive citizen has a vote, and in Texas California and other states so do non USA citizen. To Quote Ben Franklin 1759, " Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what (or who) to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed Lamb contesting the vote.