Perry Pledges More Scrupulous Spending Planning

Gov. Rick Perry says he's committed to balancing the Texas budget by reducing unnecessary spending and without raising taxes.

The Republican governor pledged to do a better job of using money collected from fees for their intended purpose and not for other uses. He says lawmakers need to practice truth in the budgeting process and spend wisely, because there's no such thing as extra revenue when it comes from taxpayers' pockets.

Speaking at a news conference in Fort Worth on Wednesday, Perry said the Texas budget needs to be balanced without accounting maneuvers.

However, Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth says the present budget wasn't balanced because of gimmicks. She says about $5 billion was transferred to the general fund although it had been collected for other purposes.