Emergency Services Agency Has Cash It Can't Spend
The agency that oversees the state’s 911 system and poison control centers has both too much money and not nearly enough.
What’s more, every Texan with a phone is paying to keep it that way.
State budget writers have plans to allocate around $110 million to the Commission on State Emergency Communications (CSEC). Agency officials say they need at least $38 million more to update their antiquated 911 system and avoid shuttering two of the state’s six poison control centers.
Such tussles over funding happen in every legislative session. The twist in this case: The state is ...
Comments (4)
John Johnson
You could go down the list of escrowed funds in dedicated accounts that have been held back by our legislators in order to balance the budget, report on one each week, and we would not read the last one before this session ends.
Funds being held back in the PUC's System Benefit Fund really get to me. We have paid in $850M that was supposed to go toward helping the down and out, and the elderly on fixed incomes, pay their electricity bills and keep their a/c's running during extremely hot summer months.
Sen. Corona is trying to get these funds released and working their way back to us.
https://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2013/02/06/one-senator-two-bills-and-the-future-of-the-system-benefit-fund/.
Rob Turk via Texas Tribune on Facebook
It's too bad that $200,000,000 can't be used to pay down some debt or something.
Scott Chase via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Only a fraction of the almost $5 billion being held as an accounting trick.
Katie Martinez via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Great reporting, as usual. Thanks.