State Rep. Timmy Beson, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee and chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, today issued the following statement after a new Consensus Revenue Estimate Conference report disclosed that projected state revenues are down $320 million from a previous estimate in January:

“We are continuing to look at every line of the state budget so that it respects hardworking taxpayers and works with projections we are seeing. The past few years, there has been a lot of irresponsible and unsustainable spending without much thought for the future or taxpayers who are helping foot the bill. When families across our state have less money available, they tighten their belts to make ends meet. They don’t keep spending money they don’t have.

“State government needs to conduct itself in the same fashion as it uses tax dollars. We need responsible plans so that we can fund critical services like public safety, schools, roads, and more. This latest projection will help us make informed decisions as we go through the budget process and right-size state spending.”