If there's a culprit, (it's) those special interests who don't want school finance to pass, ... Certain lobbyists — rich and greedy lobbyists for the Texas chemical companies, for some oil and gas companies — are really out of touch with their members. They did everything they could to block school finance.

With over $8 billion available before the Perry tax plan is even considered, any school finance plan that leaves our children's schools and their teachers out of the equation just doesn't add up.

Given the recent Texas Supreme Court decision requiring a restructure of the state school finance system by June 2006, the legislature will meet in early January to accomplish this task. Why approve $44 million in new debt now, when a new finance system may fund proposed bond expenditures at the state level and existing debt could be impacted by more restrictive property tax limits? The debt portion of our school tax has increased by 82 percent in just six years and taxpayers are feeling exhausted.

One-third of all city finance officers in the state change annually. We have an annual finance officer school where we touch on everything from writing minutes to budgeting.

Over the last several years, I've passed defunding Planned Parenthood, the sonogram bill, voter ID. I passed the TSA anti-groping bill, sanctuary cities, loser pay, border security, and the toughest Jessica's law in the entire nation against sexual predators.

You know some people are all about talk. I'm about results. Every victory, every conservative victory, I've had, I've had to bleed and fight to accomplish it, always adhering to our conservative principles, and refusing to take no for an answer.