Texas Constitutional Amendment Election, 2007 - Proposition 15

Proposition 15

Proposition 15 (H.J.R. No. 90) is the constitutional amendment requiring the creation of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and authorizing the issuance of up to $3 billion in bonds payable from the general revenues of the state for research in Texas to find the causes of and cures for cancer.

The measure passed 61.43 percent in favor to 38.57 percent against.

• Comments by supporters: The state has a significant interest in finding a cure for cancer. Cancer is the number two killer of Texans, killing more than 35,000 Texans each year. Each year more than 77,000 Texans develop cancer. Cancer has a substantial economic impact on the state, costing Texans more than $4 billion each year. At a time when cancer research funding is being cut on the federal level, research institutions are in need of other sources of funding. The amendment only authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds. The state is not required to ever actually issue the bonds. The state still may finance the cancer research program in other ways. By authorizing the issuance of $3 billion in general obligation bonds for cancer research, the state is telling the world that Texas is making a long-term commitment to attract the top researchers to the state and make the state a world leader in cancer research. Much of the cost of the debt service would be offset by royalties, income, and other intellectual property benefits realized by the state as a result of projects developed with grants of the bond proceeds. Cyclist Lance Armstrong, a native Texan and cancer survivor, campaigned in favor of Proposition 15 in the highest-funded campaign of the election.

• Comments by opponents: The state should not borrow money to finance a cancer research program while the state has a fiscal surplus and could pay for the program out of general revenue. The interest on $3 billion in general obligation bonds is approximately $1.6 billion. By borrowing $3 billion to pay for the cancer research program, the state would end up paying $4.6 billion for the cancer research program. The extra $1.6 billion would be used to pay the interest on the general obligation bonds instead of being used for cancer research. The extra $1.6 billion could be better spent by providing other benefits to the residents of the state, such as expanding the CHIP program, paying for schools, or building roads. Finding a cure for cancer is an international issue. Coordinated national and international efforts are needed, and Texas should not provide a disproportionate share of the research funds needed for finding a cure for cancer that will benefit all mankind.