Past Contributions

• House panel advances new Texas budget with property tax cuts, teacher pay raises

  By Karen Brooks Harper Updated: March 23, 2023

  The proposal recommends spending billions on programs including property tax cuts, teacher pay raises, mental health services and border security. It leaves out requests for pay raises for retired state employees and funding for rent relief and childcare programs. Full Story 

• How could Texas spend its record $32.7 billion surplus?

  By Karen Brooks Harper, Yuriko Schumacher and Alex Ford March 13, 2023

  If Texas’ budget surplus were distributed directly to Texans, it could pay for 12 years of school lunches, seven months of rent or 11,000 miles of travel. Here’s how to put the big number into perspective. Full Story 

• Lawmakers could use $5 billion of a record surplus for raises, flood prevention and border operations

  By Karen Brooks Harper Updated: March 8, 2023

  Budget proposals would boost state spending for the current budget cycle for projects ranging from mental health hospitals to state pay raises. This would leave $27 billion in surplus for the next two years. Full Story 

• Aging state vehicle fleet fuels tens of millions in new money requests by agencies

  By Karen Brooks Harper March 3, 2023

  Many state-owned vehicles are aging past the standards for replacement. Early budget drafts signal that lawmakers are considering funding some $237.6 million in requests for new ones. Full Story 

• DPS sent at least 3,000 driver’s licenses to organized crime group targeting Asian Texans

  By Karen Brooks Harper Feb. 27, 2023

  A Chinese crime operation bypassed the password clues of Texas.gov by using stolen identity information to fraudulently obtain replacement driver’s licenses. Full Story 

• Gov. Greg Abbott proposes devoting $15 billion to property tax cuts in budget plan

  By Karen Brooks Harper and Joshua Fechter Updated: Feb. 17, 2023

  Abbott’s spending proposals also include spending $750 million on school safety and mental health services and expanding postpartum Medicaid to a year. Full Story 

• Texas DPS scraps plan for $1.2 billion active-shooter training facility

  By Karen Brooks Harper Feb. 10, 2023

  The Texas Department of Public Safety is instead asking lawmakers for $381.5 million to upgrade its current facilities with better technology, dormitories and cafeteria for trainees from across the state. Full Story 

• Texas Military Department says it needs $460 million more to keep border mission afloat this year

  By Karen Brooks Harper and James Barragán Feb. 9, 2023

  State officials have repeatedly had to move money from other departments to keep Gov. Greg Abbott’s multibillion-dollar border mission running this year. Full Story 

• Gov. Greg Abbott says he won’t give up COVID-era power until Texas lawmakers ban vaccine mandates, strengthen border

  By Karen Brooks Harper Jan. 26, 2023

  Abbott doubles down on his long-standing call to lawmakers to prohibit local governments from enacting mask and vaccine mandates. Full Story 

• Texas Legislature’s state budget proposals leave more than $50 billion in state funds up for grabs

  By Karen Brooks Harper Updated: Jan. 18, 2023

  The preliminary budgets by House and Senate call for $130.1 billion in state spending over two years, even though tens of billions more are available to them. The bills do not bust state or constitutional spending limits. Full Story