Balance the Budget without Raising Taxes

• Appropriated $3.2 billion from the Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF) to balance the 2010-11 budget (HB 275).
• Initiated spending reductions across the state budget to address the 2012-13 general revenue shortfall.
• Retained $6.5 billion in the ESF as an underpinning for the state’s long-term fiscal health.
• Improved the efficiency and quality of health care in Texas by reforming the way health and human services programs and agencies deliver services (SB 7).
• Reformed the Texas Education Code to increase school districts’ flexibility over their workforces and payrolls in a way that makes quality instruction first priority (SB 8).

Jobs / Economy

• Passed “Loser Pays” civil justice reform legislation allowing meritless cases to be dismissed and the court to award “equitable and just” costs and reasonable and necessary attorney’s fees to the prevailing party. (HB 274)
• Clarified existing statutory provisions relating to the resolution of disputes concerning Texas Windstorm Insurance Association claims to address the billions of dollars in losses to the agency as a result of Hurricane Dolly and Ike (HB 3, First Called Session).
• Created an equal regulatory framework for cable and video service providers (SB 1087).
• Established that private telecommunications utilities cannot be subjected to more burdensome regulations than public utilities (SB 980).
• Changed the framework that allows the Public Utility Commission (PUC) to implement periodic rate adjustments to expedite recovery of distribution infrastructure costs (SB 1693).
• Provided an affirmative defense against lawsuits to businesses complying with governmental environmental permitting regulations (SB 875).
• Expanded the retainage provision in construction contracts from 30 to 60 days, furthering assurance that subcontractors are paid for their work without creating a significant burden on owners (HB 1390).
• Extended the $1 million franchise tax revenue exemption for small businesses through December 2013 (SB 1, First Called Session).

Federal Intrusion

• Balanced Budget Amendment Resolution, sends a demand to Congress, from the State of Texas, to balance the federal budget and implement spending limitations. (HCR 18)
• Exempted incandescent light bulbs from federal regulation (HB 2510).

Improve Election Integrity

• Passed a “Voter ID” bill that requires individuals to show photo identification before voting (SB 14).
• Addressed the problem of “vote harvesting” with mail-in ballots (HB 2449).
• Passed legislation assuring prompt cancellation of the voter registrations of non-citizens and deceased voters (HB 174).

Secure the Texas Border

• Appropriated $87.8 million to fund border and homeland security initiatives (HB 1).
  Sanctuary Cities- while it did not pass, Creighton worked relentlessly throughout the process to try to see it through. (SB 9)
• Codified portions of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) administrative rule requiring:
  • Applicants for new, renewal or duplicate Texas driver licenses to prove either U.S. citizenship or legal immigration; and
  • Linking the expiration of legal immigrants’ driver licenses, provisional licenses or occupational licenses to the date of the expiration of their legal immigration status (SB1, First Called Session).
• Amended the Education Code relating to foreign students to assist the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Department of state in monitoring such students (SB 1009).

Important Health Care Reforms

• Passed Medicaid Fraud protection bill that contains multiple provisions aimed at assuring abuse of vulnerable Texans and public dollars is identified and punished. Medicaid fraud is a crime that involves taking advantage of a child or an elderly or disabled person. It is a complex and costly crime for taxpayers that also robs Medicaid patients of critically needed services. Enhances the punishment of such crimes. (SB 688)
• Passed legislation allowing Texas to join an interstate health care compact giving member states critical flexibility in spending federal funds on health care apportioned under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Healthcare Compact creates an interstate compact for multiple states to bind together and opt out of Obamacare and other costly federal healthcare mandates. (SB 7).
• Healthcare Freedom bill did not pass in its original form, and would have prevented Texans from being mandated to buy healthcare insurance. The bill did pass in a limited form, onto SB 7, which creates a new form of healthcare for Texans - - but Creighton's amendment prevents a resident from being mandated into this new form of healthcare. (HB 32)

Other Conservative Accomplishments

• Sanctity of Life. Required that a woman undergo a sonogram and be given the option to view the image of her baby and its heartbeat before undergoing an abortion (HB 15).
• Private Property Rights. Strengthened the property rights of owners faced with having their property taken through the power of eminent domain by requiring that any such taking must be for “public use” and that entities must make a “bona fide” offer to purchase the property before initiating eminent domain proceedings (SB 18).
• Passed historic legislation to encourage development in Texas's fastest growing counties and allows property owners to opt out of certain water-utilities that can act as monopolies. (SB 573)
• 2nd Amendment. Amended the Labor Code to allow employees to have a firearm or ammunition in a locked, privately owned vehicle in a parking area of their employer (SB 321).
• Property Tax Reform. Amended the Tax Code to protect taxpayers from liability for interest on taxes on improvements to their property that escaped taxation in a previous year (SB 551).
• Repeal of the Trans-Texas Corridor. Repealed statutes pertaining to the establishment, development, operation, financing, and acquisition of right-of-way for the Trans-Texas Corridor. With the passage of this bill, the Trans-Texas Corridor is fully and finally repealed. (HB 1201)