Texas Governor Rick Perry today was the guest of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership in a meeting with regional leaders at the Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake Atlantis Ballroom.

BAHEP President Bob Mitchell welcomed the large crowd and introduced State Representative Larry Taylor, who formally introduced Perry.  Listen

“He is an experienced leader who has unleashed the power of our state’s entrepreneurs by cutting taxes, reforming our legal system and pressing for a predictable regulatory climate,” Taylor said.  “Thanks to those priorities and the efforts of hard working Texans our state is consistently the nation’s leader in exports, business development and job creation.”

Perry began his remarks with an endorsement of Taylor in his race for State Senate District 11. Listen

“Larry Taylor's conservative record in the Texas House has been crucial to upholding the principles of limited government, low taxes and restrained spending that have kept Texas at the forefront of the national economy,” Perry said. “As a small business owner, he understands the importance of these priorities to creating jobs and opportunity for Texans.  His effective leadership in balancing the state budget, reforming the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, protecting unborn life and crafting our state's Voter ID legislation will make him a valuable asset in the State Senate and I am proud to endorse him.”

Perry spoke about the importance of NASA and the human spaceflight program.

“I remind people in the other 49 states on a fairly regular basis that the first word that ever came from the Moon was Houston,” Perry said, with an aside to Johnson Space Center Administrator Michael Coats.  “Mike, I’m afraid that if we are ever going to get back to the Moon again, we are going to have to have a new President of the United States.”

Perry, who recently announced his Texas Budget Compact, spoke in support of fiscal responsibility.