The latest budget news from The Texas Tribune.
Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday imposed an immediate hiring freeze on state agencies through the end of August. His office said Tuesday that the Department of Family and Protective Services is among those exempted from it. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday asked lawmakers to immediately take on so-called "sanctuary cities," the state's broken child welfare system and a convention of states to amend the U.S. Constitution. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Thursday panned the Texas House's budget proposal, suggesting it is fiscally irresponsible because it exceeds Comptroller Glenn Hegar's biennial revenue estimate. Full Story
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In a day-long hearing, university presidents and chancellors said their schools might have to lay off faculty and cut classes if hundreds of millions of dollars worth of "special items" aren't put back in the budget. Full Story
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House Speaker Joe Straus has asked a state agency to release its ideas for improving government efficiency. The request came on the heels of news that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had directed the board to do the exact opposite. Full Story
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The Texas Senate's proposed budget, with one exception, is a carefully assembled conservative start to a 20-week legislative spending negotiation. But they finished off their work with a chainsaw. Full Story
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Schools say they rely heavily on "special item" appropriations for higher education. The Senate hasn't appropriated any so far, but it could add them later. Full Story
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For lessons in how to speak positively about bad news — without telling lies — you might consider studying at the feet of the people who write the Texas budget. Full Story
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Texas House and Senate leaders unveiled dueling budget proposals this week that are billions of dollars apart. Full Story
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Will Texas legislators repeal in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants? One Republican lawmaker is determined to make it happen. Full Story
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In their first-day numbers, the Texas Legislature's two chambers didn’t even agree on the size of the current budget. The House baked in some supplemental expenses that the Senate left that out. Full Story
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Texas House and Senate leaders are starting out the legislative session nearly $8 billion apart according in dueling budget proposals released Tuesday. Among the sticking points: spending on public education and border security. Full Story
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In the midst of all the gloomy state budget news, this stuck out like a gold nugget in a cow patty: Rising property values in the state’s school districts translate into higher local tax revenue, cutting the state's obligation to education. Full Story
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On the same day that Texas House Republicans doubled down on border security efforts and announced plans to send an invoice to the federal government, Senate Democrats said they were committed to fighting bills to eliminate sanctuary cities. Full Story
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Full video of Evan Smith's 1/11 conversation with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Full Story
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Facing sluggish economic forecasts, Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced Monday that lawmakers will have $104.87 billion in state funds at their disposal in crafting the next two-year budget, a 2.7 percent decrease from the last session two years ago. Full Story
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The state of Texas lost a lawsuit over business franchise taxes on Friday, but lost the way officials had hoped — without a significant change in an arcane accounting definition that could have cost billions. Full Story
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The Legislature goes to Austin on Tuesday, but lawmakers will find out a day before that what kind of budget they're going to write. Spoiler alert: Money is tight. Full Story
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On Wednesday the U.S. Fifth Circuit of Appeals will hear arguments over whether an immigrant harboring provision lawmakers passed nearly two years ago should be implemented. Full Story
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Rising property values in Texas should have lowered school property tax rates. But they didn't, and you can thank the folks who write the state budget for that. Full Story
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