It’s a lot cheaper if you don’t plan
Perry unveils ad seeking Ike relief
Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said agencies are instructed to respond to all emergency needs as they arise and then come to the next legislative session with requests for reimbursements.“The reason we don’t fund the disaster contingency fund is it’s not how we fund” emergency aid to agencies, Ogden said.
So where exactly do the agencies get the money to respond to these emergencies? From their own budgets? Then what happens to the services they’re supposed to provide but can’t because the money has been spent on emergencies? Is there some special bank or fund that provides money to agencies in these situations?
Of course, this is just one more example of how we Texans keep a tight budget. Who’s to say the state will decide to reimburse the agencies, they may be just told to suck it up. And then there is the fact that the legislature meets only every two years. So an agency’s budget could be totally screwed up until the legislature can get around to it.
Buy, hey, it keeps the business taxes low and that’s the important thing to remember as you clean up from your latest natural disaster.
Filed under: Emergency Planning, Hurricane Ike, Rick Perry, Steve Ogden, Warren Chisum
