Government Reform

Governor Perry believes government should be lean but efficient. He
has made state government more responsive and accountable to Texans by
reforming broken state programs, cracking down on fraud, and using more
modern business technology in government agencies.

Protecting Children and the Elderly

In 2005, lawmakers adopted Governor Perry’s major recommendations to
overhaul the state programs that protect children and adults at risk
for abuse or neglect. These reforms will put thousands of new child and
adult caseworkers in the field, cut down on paperwork and bureaucracy,
and provide better training and salaries for those charged with
protecting some of our most vulnerable citizens.

Better Pay for Texas Judges

Governor Perry supported the recent increase in compensation for
judges of the state’s district and appellate courts, the first since
1998. Increasing compensation for judges on the state’s courts will
ensure the quality of our judicial system by attracting and retaining
qualified judges.

Eminent Domain Limits

In response to the U.S. Supreme Court Kelo decision, Governor Perry
signed a law prohibiting the use of the power of eminent domain for
economic development purposes. The new law prohibits the condemnation
of private property simply to create development opportunities while
protecting the use of eminent domain for traditional purposes such as
roads and utilities.

Hurricane Preparedness

In 2004, Governor Perry ordered a comprehensive review of the
state’s ability to respond to catastrophic hurricanes. The resulting
plan led to legislation creating a regional approach in planning for
and responding to a hurricane and evacuation route improvements. After
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Governor Perry formed The Task Force on
Evacuation Transportation and Logistics to bring together the best and
brightest minds in transportation, energy, academia and government to
help all levels of government learn from the hurricane experiences and
establish better evacuation plans for the future. Many of The Task
Force’s recommendations have been implemented, and the remainder will
be presented to the legislature for necessary statutory changes.

Getting Tough on Fraud

Under Governor Perry’s leadership Texas state agencies are cracking
down on fraud. In 2003 Governor Perry signed legislation beefing up
fraud detection in government health care programs. Because of these
increased efforts, the Inspector General of the Health And Human
Services Commission has already saved taxpayers over $1.5 billion in
fraudulent health care claims.

Higher Pay for Jury Duty

To encourage jury service and fairly compensate those who perform
their civic duty, Governor Perry signed into law the first juror pay
raise in 52 years. This action increased pay for those called to jury
duty from $6 a day to $40 a day, after the first day of service. The
increase is funded by a fee levied on convicted criminals.

Protecting Children with a Statewide Amber Alert System

In 2002, Governor Perry signed an executive order establishing a
statewide system to immediately alert the public to instances of
kidnapped children. Named for Amber Hagerman, a nine year old Arlington
girl who was kidnapped and killed in 1996, the Amber Alert system
effectively assisted law enforcement to recover kidnapped children in
the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex since its creation in 1997. Governor
Perry’s order in 2002 extended the Amber Alert system statewide.

Protecting Traditional Marriage

Governor Perry championed a constitutional amendment that defines
marriage in Texas as the union of one man and one woman. This addition
to our state constitution prevents activist judges and other states
from forcing Texas to recognize a non-traditional marriage.

Making Grant Funding More Accessible

Governor Perry signed legislation requiring a streamlined and
simplified grant application process that can be accessed via the
internet. This simplified online process helps small, nonprofit, and
faith-based organizations that do not have the resources or expertise
immediately available to properly research and develop grant proposals.
Making grants more accessible improves the ability of organizations to
assist their communities.

Using Technology to Modernize Government

Lt. Governor Perry supported legislation enabling Texans to pay
their taxes by electronic transfer, requiring electronic filing of
campaign finance reports, and the enabling of public meetings conducted
on the internet. As Governor, Perry signed legislation creating online
drivers license renewal and established TexasOnline, a one stop
Internet website that connects Texans to all state government services.