Touring Texas this Spring

I recently kicked off a tour across Texas to talk about the state of our economy and a few important fiscal challenges we are sure to face in the future. In order to ensure the state's strong fiscal health, I think it is important for Texas taxpayers to understand the facts, figures and trends fueling our economy.

Unfortunately, the increasing federal regulatory burden threatens to slow the economic growth we are currently experiencing today.

So I am hitting the road to let Texans know about the high debt load our local governments are carrying, the adverse effect federal healthcare programs will have on state spending and the potentially crippling impact the federal review of endangered species could have on the oil and gas industry in Texas.

I began the tour in Temple, where my good friend Texas State Representative Ralph Sheffield joined me. Next, we headed East to Longview, Marshall and Tyler, where I was thrilled to have Representatives David Simpson, Bryan Hughes, and Wayne Christian participate in the meeting. We ended this week with Representative Jason Isaac at a packed house in San Marcos. As always, I have been extremely proud to see my fellow Texans engage in a dialogue about how to protect the future of our state. Next week, we will be traveling to New Braunfels with an event with Representative Doug Miller and also to Waco to visit with Toby Marie Walker and the Waco Tea Party. We will be continuing the townhalls all across the state in the coming months.

Yesterday, I was pleased to join Rick Santorum in San Antonio to help him kick off his swing through Texas in his presidential campaign.

We face very real issues, and I want your feedback on how we combat them. I look forward to seeing you on the road.