This past Friday, June 19th 2009, Governor Perry took action to veto SB 2169, which would have commissioned a Smart Growth working group to begin working on creating a Smart Growth policy for Texas. The bill was sponsored by local Houston legislators Sen. Rodney Ellis and Rep. Carol Alvarado. With our current national housing crisis being linked to Smart Growth policies throughout the US, it was a necessary decision for Gov. Perry to Veto this proposed piece of legislation. Why at a time when the rest of the US is looking to Texas as an example for growth and economic prosperity would we consider implementing failed policies from other states such as California and Florida? Here’s Governor Perry’s explanation for the veto.

http://governor.state.tx.us/news/veto/12632/ [1]

“Senate Bill No. 2169 would create a new governmental body that would centralize the decision-making process in Austin for the planning of communities through an interagency work group on “smart growth” policy. Decisions about the growth of communities should be made by local governments closest to the people living and working in these areas. Local governments can already adopt “smart growth” policies based on the desires of the community without a state-led effort that endorses such planning. This legislation would promote a one-size-fits-all approach to land use and planning that would not work across a state as large and diverse as Texas.”

HRG would like to commend Governor Perry for his Veto of SB 2169.