AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry says the state should resume a program that provides discounts for poor electricity customers or stop collecting the fee that was meant to fund it.
That is the first conservative thing to come out of the Governor's mouth in months.
In a letter Thursday to the Texas Public Utility Commission, Perry called on the agency to submit a budget proposal that includes the discount program for the upcoming two-year budget cycle.Excuse me, but would it not be better to see if we could also maybe help these people change power providers and save some money that way as well?
The System Benefit Fund, which was created in 1999 as part of an electric deregulation law, provides rate discounts of 10 percent to more than 350,000 low-income Texans.
The discount is financed by a fee on electric bills — typically about 65 cents per bill. However, recent state budgets have redirected the generated funds to other areas of the budget.
"The low-income discount needs to remain a part of the competitive package or the charge should to be removed from customers' bills," Perry said in his letter. "It is unconscionable for the money to be collected and not go to the citizens it was designed to help."
Perry's office says a 10 percent discount on electric bills for poor customers would cost $76 million in fiscal 2008 and $82 million in fiscal 2009.
OK so the governor wants to spend $158 Million Dollars next year above and beyond the current budget that is being disputed? I take back that comment about Perry and conservative.
Perry's office and the Legislative Budget Board have previously told agencies that they should prepare for base budgets will be 10 percent smaller than their current ones.If I were a state agency, I would look to see if I could trim 20 percent simply because the LBB and Perry will eventually come back and ask for more. RINO's and Liberals always do.
Well folks it is time to vote ABBR™- Anybody but Rick... This guy has more faces than traveling 1 man show.
Perry included the discount program in the budget he submitted to the Legislature in 2005, but lawmakers did not grant his request.
Three of Perry's opponents in the November election, Democrat Chris Bell and independents Kinky Friedman and Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, have said the discount should be restored.
Perry drew criticism for declining to open the most recent special legislative session to the issue. Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, had drafted a bill to restore the program.
"Perry didn't think it was a priority then, and the only reason he thinks it's a priority now is that he's slipping in the polls and people are angry," said Jason Stanford, a spokesman for Bell.Perry's supporters argue that he's always backed the program and pointed to his work to negotiate deals with utilities to partially fund similar programs.
On Thursday, 67 lawmakers sent a letter to state leaders asking for the discount to be restored.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, said earlier this week that he would like to stop collecting the fee during the 2007 legislative session.
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