KOLKHORST SAYS BUDGET, TAX RELIEF KEYS TO LEGISLATIVE SESSION

  

Local State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst says tax relief and the state budget were the two key accomplishments during her first term as a state senator.

Kolkhorst tells the weekend edition of the Brenham Banner Press that the legislature began the latest session with a budget surplus and one of the key concerns was to make sure it wasn’t all spent.

Kolkhorst said she’s seen budgets in the past that required billions in cuts because earlier spending had outpaced the state’s growth.

Kolkhorst pointed to her experience writing lean budgets while a state representative as the reason she requested to serve on the Senate Finance Committee.

Kolkhorst was a member of the Senate Finance Committee and the Budget Conference Committee, giving her a hand in writing specific provisions that will increase border security, improve education spending and directly impact the people of Washington County.

The final state budget totaled $209.4 billion and left more than $6 billion in the state coffers.