Gov. Rick Perry used his State of the State address to call for amending the Texas Constitution to allow the state to return tax money it collects but doesn't spend back to its citizens.

In an excerpt of the speech released to The Associated Press, Perry says he'd like Texas to have the option of giving back excess tax money "directly to those who paid it."

The Republican also told the joint session of the Texas Legislature on Tuesday that the state constitution currently doesn't allow doing so, but that "we need to fix that."

The state's economy is booming, but Perry has spent weeks urging lawmakers to cut taxes and keep government spending low.

He also plans to tell lawmakers how much it should cut taxes.