AUSTIN — State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) is preparing for the state budget debate on the House floor. Senate Bill 1, the state’s budget for 2022 and 2023, is set for debate on the House floor on Thursday.

“I’m fighting for resources for the Permian Basin,” Landgraf said. “So much of the state’s business is funded by what we do out here in West Texas, and it only makes sense for us to get our fair share of state resources so we can keep the state rocking and rolling. At the same time, I’m laser focused on keeping state spending as low as possible and only on items that are a priority for Texans.”

The Texas Constitution requires the legislature to meet every two years for one primary reason: to pass a state budget for the next two years. This session’s budget bill has already passed out of the Texas Senate. Provided the budget bill is passed by the House, it will then go to a joint committee of members from the House and Senate who will iron out differences between our two versions of the budget before it is sent along to the governor. The Texas governor cannot veto an entire budget bill approved by the Legislature, but the governor does have authority to veto specific line items in the budget.

“I have filed amendments to the budget to restore funding for UTPB to pre-pandemic levels and set aside additional funding to help police commercial vehicle traffic around the Permian Basin to make roads safer. We are the most productive energy producing region on earth and an integral part of the Texas economy. These facts should be reflected in the state budget,” Landgraf concluded.

The 87th Texas Legislative Session began in January and is underway through May 31st, 2021. In accordance with the Texas Constitution, the state legislature meets for a 140-day regular session every odd-numbered year.