Budget Outlook is Better, but Not Necessarily Good
Texas is not floating in cash, but the doom and gloom offered by some of the state’s top budget writers might be overstating the trouble ahead. Some analysts expect things to be tight, but easier than they were in the 2011 session, which resulted in significant cuts.
“Easier” is a relative term. Lawmakers don’t really write the state budget — it’s controlled by their promises, their fears and obligations they don’t control. They promise to maintain roads, prisons, schools and welfare and health care programs, and fear the political consequences of breaking the promises. They’re constrained ...
Comments (2)
Stuart Greenfield
Not to disagree w/ my former colleagues, Dale and Ross, but as a former President remarked at the D convention, it's "arithmetic." The state will have collected almost $4 billion in additional tax revenue for FY12, which should provide the 83rd leg w/ an additional $8-$10 billion in unappropriated tax revenue for fy13, more than enough to cover the Medicaid shortfall and provide the appropriate funding for public ed. Even after covering these obligations it might leave them enough to provide retirees like me a 13th check, so I can afford to put food on my table or at least buy a "happy meal" once a quarter. :-)
jpt51
Two thoughts:
Our fearless leaders only funded Medicaid for 6 months of this fiscal year, digging an even deeper hole for the next biennium. The real problem, as with the federal budget, is the lack of backbone by legislators to ensure protected groups paying their fair share. Billionaire Red McCombs gets Texas taxpayers to not only commit to giving him $250,000,000.00 over ten years for his pet but expects Travis County to pay for the infrastructure improvements. Everyone knows someone getting a “wildlife management’ exemption on property by mainly putting out a birdfeeder in the backyard. At the same time the Legislature was laying of tens of thousands of teachers.
We'd save a lot of money if AG Abbott would do his part by discontinue pursuing all of those frivolous lawsuits that are meant to make him look like one tough dude when he runs for governor in 2016. Instead it's showing him up as full of hot air with little knowledge of federal law.