Numerous counties have already passed resolutions calling for the 81st Legislature to prohibit unfunded mandates.  Several news articles and at least one editorial already have appeared in the press detailing the reasons for these resolutions and the need for the state to stop passing mandates to counties without state funding.

The Texas Association of Counties has updated its sample resolution on unfunded mandates to include HJR 84, introduced this session by the new chair of House County Affairs, Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston).  The bill currently is in Coleman’s committee.

(Here) is the updated sample resolution.

If your commissioners court approves this resolution or a similar one that you’ve written yourselves, please notify TAC and send us a copy – either by e-mail to elnac@county.org or fax to 512-478-3573.

Although we all know it’s extremely difficult to convince the Legislature to put the unfunded mandate constitutional amendment on the ballot, the more resolutions we can show them, the more they will understand that protecting local property taxpayers from unfunded mandates is a top priority for county officials.  If all 254 counties passed resolutions, lawmakers would be hard-pressed to pass more unfunded mandates and then have to explain it to their voters – who are your voters too.