The latest budget news from The Texas Tribune.
In his first certified revenue estimate, Comptroller Glenn Hegar lowered his estimate for how much revenue the state will take in by more than $2 billion, pointing to reduced activity in oil and gas drilling as the main culprit. Full Story
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The State Securities Board is questioning whether Gov. Greg Abbott really intended to veto $1.2 million for employee raises from its budget, part of more than $200 million in funds that remain in legal limbo. Full Story
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As Texas prepares to argue a school finance appeal before the state Supreme Court, districts still are grappling with staffing cuts, swelling class sizes and flat test scores exacerbated by the 2011 budget cuts. Full Story
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Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced Wednesday he will not authorize more than $200 million in funds approved by the Texas Legislature but vetoed by Gov. Greg Abbott as he waits for Attorney General Ken Paxton to settle the issue. Full Story
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In a victory for racetracks and a rebuff to state lawmakers, the Texas Racing Commission on Tuesday declined to outlaw historical racing in the state. Full Story
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The city of Austin filed a lawsuit Monday against the state of Texas charging that the current property appraisal system is unconstitutional and creates “an imbalance in the tax burdens between residential and commercial property owners.” Full Story
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In a lengthy legal memo to the state's comptroller, aides to Gov. Greg Abbott defend his budget vetoes and decry a legislative agency's challenge as a threat to constitutional separation of powers. Full Story
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It's diversion season: Top state officials, not surprisingly, would rather talk about red-meat political issues than indictments and legally contested budget vetoes. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Thursday reiterated his disagreement with a letter questioning the governor's budget vetoes, saying his office did not initiate a letter from a legislative agency on that subject. Full Story
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The governor and the state's legislative leaders are having what looks like an argument over money, but it's really about who's in charge in state government. Full Story
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Some of Gov. Greg Abbott’s line-item vetoes in the state budget might be invalid, the state’s Legislative Budget Board said in a letter sent Tuesday to Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar. Full Story
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After a decade in the Texas House and fresh off his first session as chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee, state Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton, announced Tuesday that he is not planning to seek re-election. Full Story
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Texas voters are all for tax cuts, but not necessarily the same ones legislators prefer, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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Texas' network of tolled highways stretches for more than 500 miles, but its growth was curtailed this session as lawmakers passed several measures that make it tougher for toll projects to move forward. Full Story
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By the end of the 84th legislative session, state lawmakers reached many compromises on the 2016-17 budget and tax cuts. See what lawmakers decided — and how they got there — with our Texas Legislative Guide. Full Story
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At our 6/18 conversation, Erica Grieder and R.G. Ratcliffe of Texas Monthly explained why they named state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, one of the 84th session's ten worst legislators. Full Story
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Declaring “a new era of job growth in the state of Texas,” Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed a $2.56 billion bill cutting the franchise tax rate paid by businesses by 25 percent. Full Story
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Tucked in the $209 billion budget lawmakers passed last month is a budget rider allocating $500,000 for a nonprofit to publish the Texas Almanac, a reference guide that had gotten by for over a century as a for-profit publication. Full Story
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As the Legislature took up the budget and other important issues, the leadership of Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Joe Straus were put to the test multiple times. Listen to our discussion of the three leaders in a special episode of Texas Standard. Full Story
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Here’s a look at how the Texas House and Senate budget proposals compared and what the two chambers ultimately settled on, using information from the Legislative Budget Board. Full Story
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