AUSTIN, Texas – Texans for Fiscal Responsibility today released its scorecard of the Texas House. The TFR analysis of votes demonstrates that far too many lawmakers failed to work in the interest of Texas taxpayers by working against commonsense protections and responsible spending.

State representatives, on average, failed to promote sound fiscal stewardship of taxpayer resources. The average score in the House was a 53 – a failing grade by any measure, according to TFR president Michael Quinn Sullivan. House Republicans earned, on average, a ‘C’ score of 75; House Democrats earned a failing 32.

“State representatives, on average, failed to protect Texas taxpayers against new and higher spending, and failed to promote taxpayer protections,” said Sullivan.

TFR used an index of 14 votes in the Texas House that provided a clear picture of fiscal responsibility trends.

“The good news is that there are 15 highly-dedicated members of Texas House working to do the right thing for Texas, earning an ‘A’ on the scorecard,” said Sullivan. “Unfortunately, that’s only 10 percent of the House. Far too many legislators are spending too much time working to grow government and expand spending, while ignoring the needs of Texas families.”

Earning the Texas Taxpayer Hero Award were:
State Rep. Leo Berman (R-Tyler)
State Rep. Wayne Christian (R-Center)
State Rep. Joe Crabb (R-Kingwood)
State Rep. Gary Elkins (R-Houston)
State Rep. Dan Flynn (R-Van)
State Rep. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola)
State Rep. Carl Isett (R-Lubbock)
State Rep. Jim Jackson (R-Carrollton)
State Rep. Jodie Laubenberg (R-Parker)
State Rep. Nathan Macias (R-Bulverde)
State Rep. Sid Miller (R-Stephenville)
State Rep. Ken Paxton (R-McKinney)
State Rep. Debbie Riddle (R-Houston)
State Rep. John Smithee (R-Amarillo)
State Rep. Bill Zedler (R-Arlington)

“On the whole, these men and women could be counted on this Session as wise stewards of our resources, seeking to reduce the burden of taxes, looking for smarter ways to spend tax dollars, and working to make the budget process more transparent and accountable. Texans need more legislators like these, who willing to do the right thing for taxpayers and the future of Texas.”

Sullivan said TFR used key votes that point to spending trends and taxpayer protection efforts. “Extra credit” was given to legislators sponsoring good legislation, while sponsoring bad legislation dropped the final scores. The full scorecard, including a detailed description of the votes and methodology, is available at EmpowerTexans.com.

A scorecard of the Senate will be released next month, noted Sullivan.

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