House Members Prepare for Long Budget Debate
Texas House members are expected to debate well into the night Thursday as they take up the lower chamber's budget proposal, which includes 267 amendments. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman / Bob Daemmrich / Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Agenda Texas: House Budget Debate Preview
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: a preview of the budget fight coming up Thursday in the Texas House, where debate could last well into the night. Full Story
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![Photos of Texas House Members who showed up for work Monday, June 27, 2011.]()
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Zerwas: House Medicaid Reform Bill Will Incorporate Williams' Plan
UPDATED: Rep. John Zerwas confirmed Wednesday that he will incorporate into his own Medicaid reform bill a proposal by Sen. Tommy Williams to use premium tax revenue to subsidize private health policies for the uninsured. Full Story
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![Senate Finance Chairman Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, holds a copy of the state budget on the Senate floor March 20, 2013.]()
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Budget Plans May Be Larger Than They Appear
Leaders in the Legislature decided this was the year to move more than $6 billion in income off the books. While they argue it improves budget transparency in the long term, in the short term it creates the illusion that this year's budget plan is growing less than it is. Full Story
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The Polling Center: No Backlash to Public Education Cuts?
Polling over the last two years from the University of Texas/Texas Tribune suggests that education has not become more salient to Texas voters, nor have perceptions of school quality suffered significantly. Full Story
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A Head Start on the Big Stuff
With eight weeks to go in the legislative session, lawmakers got a running start at their big issues: water, education and the budget. Full Story
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Cable and Satellite Providers Square Off Over Tax Break
Cable TV providers are asking lawmakers to let them out of $200 million in sales taxes to offset local franchise fees their satellite competitors don't have to pay. Some lawmakers are worried about the state programs that would go unfunded as a result. Full Story
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House Freshmen Launch Coordinated Strike on Budget
About a dozen freshman Republicans in the Texas House have filed dozens of amendments to the state budget with the same goal: defunding various programs and agencies and putting that money toward retired teachers. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Sales Taxes, an Exit Ramp and the Texas Budget
An exit ramp so important it warrants mention in the Texas budget is just one of the many "riders" in competing spending plans proposed by the Texas House and Senate. Full Story
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House Budget Spends More Than Senate's on Schools, Less on Medicaid
Both the House and Senate are proposing spending about $194 billion over the next two years. But there are key differences between the two plans. Full Story
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Hot Seat: A Conversation with Fraser and King
At last Friday's Hot Seat conversation at Abilene Christian University, state Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, and state Rep. Susan King, R-Abilene, talked about public education, health care, water, the state budget and other issues in play in the 83rd session. Full Story
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House Committee Backs Budget That Includes More School Funding
The $193.8 billion budget approved by the House Appropriations Committee includes an extra $2.5 billion for public education. The bill is smaller than the Senate budget by about $1.7 billion. Full Story
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Senate Votes to Approve $195.5 Billion Budget
The Texas Senate approved a $195.5 billion budget Wednesday that even supporters called an intermediate step toward a final spending plan for the next two years. Full Story
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Budget Votes to Set Stage for Future Negotiations
The $195.5 billion budget that senators will vote on Wednesday includes $1.4 billion extra for education and pay raises for most state employees. A House committee is expected to vote Thursday on its version of the budget. Full Story
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Inside the State Budget, a Shell Game to Avoid Choosing Taxes or Cuts
The state balances its budget by counting nearly $5 billion in unspent funds that were raised for specific programs. To change their ways, lawmakers would have to go back to what they were trying to avoid: choices between taxes and cuts. Full Story
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LBB Right on Rainy Day Fund, Lawmakers Admit
House and Senate leaders have come to the same painful conclusion: spending from the Rainy Day Fund is subject to the constitutional spending limit. They disagree on what to do now. Full Story
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Senate Finance Approves $195.5 Billion Budget
The budget approved Wednesday by the Senate Finance Committee is 2.9 percent bigger than the estimated size of the current two-year budget. It includes about $8.9 billion more than the first draft Senate leaders unveiled in January. Full Story
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With Deadline Looming, House Sends Medicaid IOU Bill to Perry
House members unanimously approved a bill largely devoted to addressing a shortfall in Medicaid. Health providers for poor children and the disabled in Texas won't get paid starting Thursday unless Gov. Rick Perry signs the bill soon. Full Story
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UT/TT Poll: Texans Favor Surcharge to Help State Pay for Water Projects
Water is a top issue with lawmakers, if not quite there with voters, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. And voters prefer adding a surcharge, based on water usage, to help pay for water projects. Full Story
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Republican Senator Proposes Tax Hike for Transportation
State Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, wants Texas voters to approve a constitutional amendment to temporarily increase the state sales tax to pay off the Texas Department of Transportation's debt. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich
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