Chad’s Morning Brief: Not All Texas Senators Are Ready For Tax Cuts, Rand Paul and Chris Christie on Vaccines, and Other Top Stories
Here is your Morning Brief for February 3, 2015.
Not Everyone Is Ready for Tax Cuts
Many in Texas were pretty happy to hear about the Senate's budget plan last week that included $4 billion in tax cuts. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick praised Senator Jane Nelson last week when the budget was presented. While many were pleased with the announced cuts, not everyone is on board just yet as the Dallas Morning News reported yesterday.
Two centrist state senators who are budget writers questioned Monday whether Texas can afford sizable tax cuts, as called for in the Senate’s initial version of the two-year state budget.
Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, said the Senate “base budget” unveiled last week by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Senate Finance Committee Chairwoman Jane Nelson jumped to the conclusion that $3 billion in school property tax cuts and $1 billion in business-franchise tax reductions were possible.
Eltife, though, said the state also faces demands that it should spend more on highways and water infrastructure; shore up teachers’ and state workers’ pension funds; and preserve some money in case it loses the latest round of school-finance lawsuits.
Eltife said that like everyone, he is for tax cuts.
But he said he can’t support “removing $4 billion from the revenue stream until I know for sure that we can meet the needs of the state.”
The budget still has a long way to go and I doubt the Senate will get everything they wanted. I still expect there to be tax cuts in the final budget as do many Texans.
Vaccines
It's now the talk of major politicians and possible 2016 candidates. Should parents get their kids vaccinated? The majority of parents do but a small yet growing number of parents don't. Over the weekend President Obama said yes parents should get their kids vaccinated. Senator Rand Paul on Monday said that while he wasn't anti-vaccine, parents should be the ones who decide what vaccines their kids get and that they should be voluntary.
Governor Chris Christie created a small storm when he said that government must "balance" public health with parental choice. According to the Washington Post, Christie's camp clarified what he meant.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie walked back comments he made here Monday morning calling for "balance" on the measles vaccine debate to allow for parental choice, asserting that "there is no question kids should be vaccinated."
"The Governor believes vaccines are an important public health protection and with a disease like measles there is no question kids should be vaccinated," Christie's office said in a statement. "At the same time different states require different degrees of vaccination, which is why he was calling for balance in which ones government should mandate."
Just wait. We will see more comments from the other 2016ers soon on this story.
Other Must Read Links:
These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show. Tune in mornings 8:30-11am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard on our KFYO YouTube page after the show and online at kfyo.com.
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