Texas produces a majority of the energy for the United States right here in the Permian Basin and we see higher fuel prices than some of the other States that have nothing to do with energy production. Our hard work is being abused and it is time that we see some of that hard work returned to the very district that it comes from.

I would propose that HB 2154 be reintroduced: the “Grow Texas Fund” (HB 2154) was created as the answer to the long-standing complaint that West Texas needs to keep more of the state revenue generated from West Texas energy production to meet increasing demands from population growth, particularly wear and tear on roadways.

This constitutional amendment would require the state comptroller to allocate a portion of the general revenue into the GROW Texas fund, which would then need HB 2154 to disburse the funds back to West Texas for transportation, public safety, and education needs.

In 2019 the current Representative attempted to hijack and rewrite the bill while being voted on. In rewriting the bill via a committee substitute, changes were made to the study commission, and all of the original language that actually allocated the funding was deleted. Landgrafs changes would have made this another “Robin Hood” type scenario where he would have taken the power from the districts and given it to the State house speaker and LtGov to appoint un-elected bureaucrats to manage the funds as they see fit.

The worrisome part was the language used:

“The 10-member legislative committee would be appointed by the speaker and the lieutenant governor, who would be required to ensure the members of the committee reflect the “ethnic and geographic diversity” of the state.”

The speaker and Lt Gov would then have control of how the money is spent and who decides where it is spent.

“The latest version of the bill now created a new 13-member “task force” appointed by the head, unelected bureaucrats of a host of statewide entities, including the Texas Education Agency, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, and various institutions of higher education. The task force would then work with local governments to identify and implement social welfare type programs to help meet the increased need for education, health care, and workforce training.”

Passage of the GROW Texas fund was highly anticipated by many in the Permian Basin. Texas Scorecard spoke with local officials who described what the loss of the legislation means to West Texas:

“It’s no secret that the western side of Texas is being short-changed on infrastructure funding, and we rely on our legislators to secure the desperately needed funding to keep up with the energy-related growth in the Permian Basin,” stated Ector County Judge Debi Hays.

Lubbock County Commissioner Jason Corley weighed in, saying, “The longer the state delays getting us funding will only result in more lives lost on dangerous roadways that cannot handle our economic growth.”

We desperately need legislation that requires a return of the sales of all oil and gas production stay in the district where it is produced so that the Constituents can see an improvement in their daily lives and have a return on the energy we proudly produce right here in the great state of Texas.

We must get back to the simple language of the bill and return the money to the taxpayer and assure that it is kept in the district and spent to reduce the already outrageous taxes.