Assignment:
For this assignment, you are now a state representative serving on the House Appropriations Committee, which is the budget-writing committee chaired until this year by Rep. John Zerwas (R-Richmond), an anesthesiologist who is retiring this year after 12 years in the House of Representatives. For this assignment, you represent the district where you live, wherever that is.(district 27) What do you think your constituents want in a state budget? Are they more worried about public education? Higher Education? Health care? Highways? Crime? Are they more worried about keeping their taxes down? Without trying to write an entire budget, explain in a 2 ½ page essay what spending priorities would be important to you and why. For what changes would you advocate?
Note: (This is the important part) Texas is required by its Constitution to have a balanced budget, so if you argue in your essay for a $50 million increase in a program that's important to your district, make sure you tell where you would either cut $50 million from another program, or how you would raise $50 million in additional revenue.
Submit in Word. Cite your sources.