Fall 2013 Susan Combs Newsletter

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LEADING TRANSPARENCYH FIGHTING FEDERAL OVERREACH H PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN

F a l l 2 0 1 3

Tell the TRUTH

N E W S L E T T E R

DEBT. ITS ON EVERYONES MIND. Weve seen reports o cities

and states acing ever-mounting public pension und liabilities.

And I heard your worries in 40 town halls across the state last

year about the burden on our children and grandchildren. Thats

why we published the report series, Texas, Its Your Money.

The ourth report on

public pension debt was

the basis or legislation

that was signed into law

by Gov. Rick Perry in

May. All public pensions

now will be required to

post fnancial data online

or taxpayer review.

My thanks to Rep. Bill Callegari (R-Houston) and Sen. Robert

Duncan (R-Lubbock) or their hard work.

However, legislative eorts to shine the light on all o the debt

you are burdened with by every taxing entity at the local level

were not successul, and were ultimately killed by technicalities.

Many of us believe that governmental entities should tell

you what you already owe before asking to borrow more.

But it was clear that many cities, school districts, municipal

utility districts and counties were not in avor o telling you

the whole truth. Our thanks still to Sen. Tommy Williams

(R-The Woodlands) and Rep. Jim Pitts (R-Waxahachie) or their

tremendous eorts.

Texas transparency won one and lost one. But we are not giving

up the fght. We are already working to replicate each provision

in the bills at the Comptrollers ofce. Objections were made

that putting local debt inormation on the web was too costly,

too conusing, too hardyet it was easy or you to pay!

Lets prove them wrong. Visit www.TelltheTruthTexas.org. This

site continues the transparency work we started my frst week in

the Comptrollers ofce. We absolutely welcome and need

your eedback. H

Dear Fellow Texan,

Several months ago I announced I would not seek

elective ofce in 2014. My husband and I are looking

orward to spending more time on the ranch and

with the next generation o our amily, but my

emphasis will continue to be all o Texas. In addition,

I will be spending the balance o my term as your

Comptroller maintaining a sharp ocus on the duties

o this ofce, while also sharing the story o Texas across the nation.

The policy issues Ive been working on or twenty years will still be a

primary interest o mine, and I am excited to continue this important work.

Twenty-fve years ago I began to look at the eects o endangered species

law on private property, and in 1995 I co-authored the states landmark

private property rights legislation to ensure the rights o landowners

and our economy were protected. This continues to be an issue today

and there is more work to be done. And because our children are our

uture and theirs must remain bright, another policy area that has beenand will continue to be my passion is children and their health and

well-being. Finally, bringing government into the sunlightholding

all levels accountableand striving or efcient and transparent

government also will be on my radar.

I cannot thank you enough or your interest in conservative values and or

your support or so many years.

While I will not be serving in public ofce, I will continue my work with

leaders across the country on these and other policy issues. Our uture is

too important to allow governmentand not the peopleto determine

what is best or its citizens. Ater all, our country was ounded on coreprinciples o less government and on these words enshrined in the Texas

Constitution:

All political power is inherent in the people, and all ree

governments are ounded on their authority...

Thank you again, and may God continue to bless the great state o Texas.
http://www.texastransparency.org/yourmoney/http://www.tellthetruthtexas.org/http://www.tellthetruthtexas.org/http://www.texastransparency.org/yourmoney/


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FAMILY IS THE CENTER OF OUR LIVES. Our midd

son and his wie made us grandparents almost

a year ago, and their baby boy is a blessing and

a delight. Every day now, I am reminded o the

importance o leaving our state and our country

in better economic shape or generations o

Texans to come. H

OUR FAMILY,and YoursPROTECTING OUR ECONOMY AND OUR NATURAL RESOURCES is what Texans

do best. And our ofce now has $5 million in new unding approved by the 83rd

Texas Legislature to help protect against ederal overreach by unding peer-

reviewed scientifc research on species to be sure they are not listed as threatened

or endangered by the ederal government.

Since Congress passed the Endangered

Species Act (ESA) in 1973, its reach has

become enormous. Today, Texas has 125

species o plants, fsh, animals, bugs and

reptiles that are subject to some type

o ederal regulation under the ESA,

including being listed as endangered.

The Texas Legislature asked our ofce to be the chair o an Interagency Task Force

to deal with the ESA in 2009. We created www.KeepingTexasFirst.org to track

the economic impact o ederal action on endangered species, as well as provide

inormational resources to help aected communities, businesses and landownersrespond to the ESA.

In 2011, when the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard (DSL) threatened to endanger jobs

in the vitally important Permian Basin, we worked with a broad coalition o

stakeholders and developed a plan that now protects both Texas jobs and the DSL

and was a key actor in stopping the listing o the lizard. The private sector also

unded additional scientifc research that was critical to this process. But this eort

cannot be replicated on 125 species, so the $5 million is a start to protect the

state against unwarranted listings. All public state universities are eligible or this

state project.

Being proactive, we can ensure our states economy continues to grow, and jobs and

private property rights are protected. H

TEXAS JOBS: Endangered Species?

ENSURING OUR KIDS ARE HEALTHY IS AN ECONOMIC IMPERATIVEthat is one o the messages I

carried with me to the U.S.-Mexico Border Obesity Prevention Summit in McAllen in July, where I

spoke on how public policy can help drive good practices.

For most children, being overweight or obese is the result o unhealthy eating and too little physical

activity. As a result, one in three children born today will develop Type 2 diabetes in their lietime. Andthe added annual health costs of obesityor individuals and uture employersare growing at

alarming rates.

Changing habits while young can reverse unhealthy trends. That is why we launched

www.ReshapingTexas.org , empowering businesses, schools, health proessionals and amilies

by providing a one-stop spot or inormation on treating and preventing obesity. The

Comptrollers ofce is also distributing more than 15,000 books and DVDs on nutrition

and physical activity to Texas public libraries and low-income elementary schools. Sports

equipment is also being donated to more than 3,500 schools with students in the

fth through eighth grades at the highest risk or obesity.

A healthy lie is the legacy we must pass on to our children.H

FIT FOR LIFE
http://www.keepingtexasfirst.org/http://www.reshapingtexas.org/http://www.reshapingtexas.org/http://www.keepingtexasfirst.org/


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demanding transparency and fnancial accountability, fghting ede

overreach, protecting our children and growing the Texas economy

2013 ROUNDUP

InMarch,Ijoinedhundredsofwomenata

Texas

FederationofRepublicanWomensevent

.It

waswonderfultoseeallofthosewomenin

red

demandingmoretransparencyingovern

ment.

AndI wasthrilledtojoingrassrootsactivistsromacrossthenationin Orlandoover theLabor DayWeekendat anAmericansforProsperityeventwhereI sharedhowwevesavedTexastaxpayersmorethan $179millionbydrivingsweeping reorms inpurchasing andcontracting, andbystreamliningprocesses andidentiyingefciencieswithintheComptrollersofcewhileimprovingservicesortaxpayers.Wealsodi

scussedthenational needor moretransparencyat alllevels.

At the American Legislative Exchange Council

in Chicago last month, I shared the Texas model

for government transparency with hundreds o

legislators rom across our country. (Now, i we can

just apply this model to the ederal government!)

Ialsotraveled to BostonwhereIspoketo theNationa

l

AssociationofStateAuditors,Comptrollersand

Treasurers abouthowstateofceholdersneed to be

leadersfortransparencyandaccountability.

Overthesummer,IvisitedNewYorkCity,whereIspoketothemediaabouttheTexassuccessstorywearesuccessfulbecausewearerationalaboutspending,carefulaboutregulationandunderstandthatbusinessdrivestheeconomy.

OCTOBER 2013

nAttending Kick-off Meeting of The Brookings Advisory Panel on Public Pension Reform Washington, DC

nSpeaking to Texas Chemical Council about economic impact of Endangered Species Act Houston

nSpeaking at Texas Federation of Republican Women Convention San Antonio

n Speaking to Alaska School Health Institute about Childhood Obesity Anchorage, Alaska

NOVEMBER 2013

nVisiting Members of Congress and others regarding the Texas Success Story, Government Accountability and Endangered Species Act Washington, DC

nSpeaking to GOVERNING Institute about Transparency and Government Accountability Austin

nSpeaking to Texas Institutional Investors Forum about Public Pension Reforms Austin

nSpeaking to US Oil and Gas Association about economic impact of Endangered Species Act Houston

FEBRUARY 2014

nSpeaking to National Association of Homebuilders about economic impact of Endangered Species Act Nevada

Upcoming ACTIVITIES

Itsbeenabusyyear,

andwerenotdoneyet


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PresortedFirst Class

U.S. Postage PAustin, Texa

Permit No. 11

Friends o Susan Combs Committee

P.O. Box 160956Austin, Texas 78716

Not printed or mailed at state expense

Pd. Pol. Adv. By Friends of Susan Combs Committee, P.O. Box 160956, Austin, TX 78716, Ernest Angelo, Treasurer

I WILL CONTINUE WORKING HARD to make government work smarter. For regular

updates, please sign up at www.susancombs.com. And I want to hear rom you

your ideas, your concerns, your questions. You can reach me by e-mail me at

[email protected] or by phone at (512) 327-3345.

Follow us on Twitter: @SusanCombs

Follow us on Facebook: Susan Combs

Thanks so much or your continued support, and I hope you will join me in the fght

to protect what we love and hold dear in our state and our nation.

ALL HAIL the Mighty State!

Let Me Hear from YOU!

$1 Billion and counting:IS IT YOURS?

IN JULY, we announced the return o the

billionth dollar to Texans and others like

you over a six and a hal year period rom

the states unclaimed property und. Thistotal exceeded all dollars returned by

the program during the 44-year period

prior to my taking ofce.

Are we holding your money? To

search or unclaimed property, visit

www.ClaimItTexas.org. Ater all, it

really is your money. H

THE WORDS OF THE SONG

ARE ABSOLUTELY TRUE. Mighty

Texas leads the nation in job

creation, and not by accident. A

glance at Caliornia, Illinois and

Michigan tells a story o policiesgone wrong, o leadership that

has ailed. Our smart business

policies, with low taxes, sensible

regulations and tort reorms, make

entrepreneurs eel welcome and

encourage businesses to risk their

capital here. HSource: www.governing.com,Bureau of Labor Statistics
http://www.claimittexas.org/http://www.claimittexas.org/

Documents

Fall 2013 Susan Combs Newsletter