On the Thursday edition of The Chad Hasty, Michael Quinn Sullivan from Empower Texans talked with Chad Hasty about the latest going on in the Texas state legislature.

One of the major topics is the Senate yesterday was the budget, which has been called a "modest effort at fiscal discipline." Although Sullivan appreciates that the budget stays within the state's means, the budget also undoes some of the cuts made in last year's budget.

"[This budget] is probably a good place to start, quite frankly, because the budget passed by the state Senate does not exceed population inflation. So they met that baseline criteria for keeping the budget within the confines of what the people of Texas can afford. On the other hand, they undid some of the cuts and some of the re-prioritization that was done in the last legislative session...they didn't color outside the lines, but it does kind of set the stage for down the road, returning to the battle days."

Sullivan added that there is still a lot off work to be done on the budget, especially once it reaches the House.

Sullivan also discussed the situation with the Public Utilities Commission. The PUC wants to be given new authority to issue cease and desists orders without judicial review. Although most House Republicans votes against this measure, a "Gang of 33" Republicans voted alongside the Democrats in favor of the measure. Sullivan said that this was an issue that has been going on for a long time, and that the poor choice of language and broad vagueness of the measure is very worrisome.

For more information on Empower Texas: Texas For Fiscal Responsibility, visit their website at empowertexans.com. You also follow Michael Quinn Sullivan on Twitter: @MQSullivan.

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