With the 82nd Texas Legislature in full swing, Treat Texas, a coalition of groups dedicated to serving Texans with drug and alcohol problems, calls on lawmakers to appropriately fund substance abuse treatment and prevention programs. Facing a budget shortfall, the Legislature is considering slashing several million dollars or more from the state’s budget currently allocated for such programs. This would result in Texas forfeiting the same amount in federal matching dollars. Rather than cut funding for these critical addiction treatment programs and support services, Treat Texas calls on the Legislature to increase funds for the programs as a preventative strategy to reduce the state budget shortfall over the long-term.

Download the press release in English or Spanish.

February 16, 2011
For press inquiries, contact:
Jeff Salzgeber
512-382-6685
jeff.salzgeber@gmail.com

AUSTIN, TX— With the 82nd Texas Legislature in full swing, Treat Texas, (www.treattexas.org), a coalition of groups dedicated to serving Texans with drug and alcohol problems, descended on the State Capitol today, calling on lawmakers to appropriately fund substance abuse treatment and prevention programs. Facing a budget shortfall, the Legislature is considering slashing several million dollars or more from the state’s budget currently allocated for such programs. This would result in Texas forfeiting the same amount in federal matching dollars.

With this in mind, 180 substance abuse prevention and treatment advocates from across Texas met with state legislators behind closed doors at the Capitol today, in hopes of convincing them to increase funds for the programs as a preventative strategy to reduce the state budget shortfall over the long-term. The advocates were in the capital city to attend the 2011 Substance Abuse Prevention Legislative Conference, held earlier in the day at St. David’s Episcopal Church in downtown Austin. The conference was sponsored by the Texas Association of Addiction Professionals, The Texas Summit Committee for Prevention, and the Association of Substance Abuse Programs.

Download the press release for today’s event.

The state will collect $77.3 billion in general revenue during the next two-year budget cycle, Comptroller Susan Combs said this morning. The comptroller estimated the Rainy Day Fund will have $9.4 billion in it at the end of the 2012-2013 biennium and that the size of the current deficit is $4.3 billion. This leaves lawmakers with a net of $72.2 billion to spend.