Update, 2/1/2017: The Legislative Budget Board’s GEER staff report is out. Read it here.

Today at a Senate Finance Committee Hearing, Legislative Budget Board Director Ursula Parks stated that Lt. Governor Dan Patrick had instructed the LBB not to release the Government Effectiveness and Efficiency Report (GEER) this year.

The 2015 GEER was full of important insights, and the cover letter from the LBB explains how important a tool it is. The GEER is enshrined in state code for good reason.

It is a fact-based, analytical audit of state policies to help lawmakers and Texans see where government can be more efficient and effective.

The GEER is an invaluable resource for legislators needing a sophisticated and unbiased review of state government operations. GEER recommendations have, when enacted, improved the efficient functioning of the state, helping save taxpayers money.

When state and local public service are being slowly starved by inadequate tax revenue, every dollar must be spent in the most effective manner. Censoring the LBB’s recommendations is a costly error.