Guest Column: Use the Rainy Day Fund Before We Go Dry
Using the Rainy Day Fund now will help address the state's water needs and keep general state spending on water down for decades to come. Full Story
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Guest Column: Use the Rainy Day Fund for Education
The Rainy Day Fund has been used for public education before and should be used for it now — to reverse drastic cuts made in education spending during the 2011 legislative session. Full Story
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Guest Column: Texas Should Leave the Rainy Day Fund Alone
The state's Rainy Day Fund should be kept as insurance against real financial downturns. If the state needs money for water programs, it should get that money by cutting other programs that are less important. Full Story
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Perry Backs Dedicated Car Sales Taxes for Highway Fund
Gov. Rick Perry on Friday said he likes the idea of dedicating a portion of future car sales taxes to road projects and also said he's open to spending up to $6 billion of the Rainy Day Fund on infrastructure projects. Full Story
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Roadblocks Emerge for Transportation Funding
With less than two months left in the legislative session, some lawmakers are lowering expectations on what can get done related to funding for roads. 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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TribLive: Straus on the Budget
At Wednesday's TribLive conversation, House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, talked about the likelihood of withdrawals from the Rainy Day Fund and whether the state can meet its obligations under the spending cap. Full Story
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Good Times or Bad, the Budget Remains Tight
When money was tight two years ago, the state's top budget writers employed cutbacks and accounting tricks to balance the budget. Money is flowing again, but the budget folks are still finding it easy to say no. Full Story
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Perry's Call for Tax Relief is Subject of Confusion
The $1.8 billion in tax relief that Gov. Rick Perry called for this week was short on details, but the few that are out there are already sparking questions. Full Story
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TribLive: Williams and Pitts on the Rainy Day Fund
At Thursday morning's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, and state Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, talked about the possibility of withdrawals from the Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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Lawmakers Seek Cash to Fix Roads Hit by Drilling
As lawmakers look for a way to fix infrastructure crumbling under the weight of a drilling boom, talk of reducing the tax money that feeds the state's Rainy Day Fund is drawing attention. Full Story
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Lawmakers Hope to Tap Rainy Day Fund, Duck Spending Cap
The state's top budget authority, the Legislative Budget Board, says lawmakers will have trouble accessing billions of dollars in the Rainy Day Fund without busting the state's spending cap. Full Story
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TribLive: Dewhurst on the Water Plan
At this morning's TribLive conversation, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst talked about how much it will take to jump-start the state's as-yet-unfunded water plan. Full Story
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Spending Limit Could Make State's Rainy Day Fund Tougher to Tap
After years in which the state's spending limit was irrelevant, it may play a key role in budget negotiations this session, and it could make it tougher for lawmakers to tap billions of dollars in the Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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TribLive: Ritter on Funding the Water Plan
At this morning's TribLive conversation, state Rep. Allan Ritter, R-Nederland, the chairman of the House National Resources Committee, talked about his desire to withdraw $2 billion from the Rainy Day Fund to jump-start the state water plan. Full Story
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Todd Staples: The TT Interview
The state agriculture commissioner on the state's water crisis, why the Rainy Day Fund should be used to pay for a state water plan and how the money should be spent. Full Story
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TribYear: (Some of) Our Best Stories of 2011
In the spirit of TribWeek and TribMonth, we present TribYear. Ten of our best stories of 2011. Full Story
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TribLive: Combs on 82nd Session Budget Cuts
At this morning's TribLive conversation, Comptroller Susan Combs talked about the billions cut from the state budget during the last legislative session — and whether kicking the can down the road on health care costs was a sound financial decision. Full Story
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What Perry's State of the State Speeches Say About Him
One 2012 presidential candidate wanted to sell a government-run lottery to finance a health insurance program. He wanted to deregulate college tuition, and then freeze it. He proposed leaving the state's Rainy Day Fund alone — or, sending the money back to taxpayers. Hint: He's from Texas. Another hint: He's not Ron Paul. Full Story
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Texplainer: Can Texas Use the Rainy Day Fund to Fight Wildfires?
Gov. Rick Perry has said the Rainy Day Fund should be preserved as an insurance policy against natural disasters, but Texas can't actually dip into it until the next legislative session — in 2013. Full Story
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