Carter On Senate Bill 1

June 29, 2011

(AUSTIN, TX) – The current financial crisis we are experiencing required the members
of the Texas House of Representatives to make some very difficult decisions during the 82nd
Legislature. Senate Bill 1 had to pass in order for the state budget to be certified, but it passed
without my support

I was elected after promising not to support any new fees or taxes, and I have stayed true
to that promise by voting against legislation that would impose such things. SB 1, in part,
authorizes agencies to set and charge numerous new fees. Additionally, I understand that
funding cuts must be made to ensure a balanced budget, and I certainly support a government
limited in scope and size. However, I was disappointed that SB 1 became the vehicle for a
school finance plan. For example, SB 1 includes school finance provisions resulting in $4 billion
of cuts to school districts across the state over the next two years. I cannot support such deep
cuts to our Texas classrooms. Unfortunately, SB 1 also includes the so-called Amazon tax,
which creates an unfriendly business environment and may cause our state to lose jobs. I cannot
support such a tax

That being said, I fully support various provisions in SB 1. For instance, SB 1 includes a
requirement for a person to provide proof of United States citizenship or documentation when
requesting or renewing a driver’s license. SB 1 also includes an extension of the Texas small
business franchise tax exemption, which is a bill I co-authored during the regular session (House
Bill 579). I support these aspects of SB 1

Voting against SB 1 was not easy given its necessity, the time and effort we have all put
into it, and the good parts of the bill. However, I ultimately could not reconcile all the good with
the bad, and therefore I had to vote against it