Austin, TX – On Friday, December 5th, State Representative John Raney joined 23 of his fellow House members in calling for the federal government to reimburse the state for costs associated with securing the Texas-Mexico Border. The House Committee on the Fiscal Impact of Texas Border Support Operations released a balance of $559,196,063 covering expenses incurred by the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Military Forces, county jails, Texas Education Agency, and others.

“The failure of Washington to address the serious and ongoing issue of border security has cost Texans both financially and in piece of mind,” Representative Raney said. “We have been forced to solve a federal problem with our own resources, and the taxpayers deserve to see their money returned.”

Earlier this week, The Legislative Budget Board voted to spend an additional $86 million on increased border-security efforts between now and August 2015. Most of that money will pay for additional overtime for Department of Public Safety personnel, additional equipment and technology, and increased aircraft flight time.

The border-security proposal was unanimously agreed upon by Governor Rick Perry, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and Speaker Joe Straus before it went to Legislative Budget Board for approval.

Representative Raney represents District 14 in the Texas House of Representatives, which includes the cities of Bryan and College Station. He serves on the Committees on Appropriations, Higher Education, and House Administration.

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