UPDATED: Budget negotiations stretched late into the evening on Wednesday, but lawmakers said privately they didn’t expect to announce a deal until Thursday.
Aman Batheja
Aman Batheja was a political reporter and editor for the Tribune from 2012 to 2019. Previously he worked for eight years at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, most of that time covering state and local politics. A native of Cedarhurst, New York, he has an undergraduate degree in journalism and psychology from New York University and a master's in economics from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Posted in
Transportation
Hope Remains for Partial Victory on Road Cash
With less than two weeks before the end of the 83rd legislative session, efforts to find more funding for the Texas Department of Transportation are sputtering.
Posted in
Energy
Pitts: Budget Leaders Close on School and Water Financing
State lawmakers would spend $3.2 billion for public education and $2 billion for water funding under plans being worked out by budget leaders, House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts said Tuesday.
Posted inEconomy, State Government
Interactive: Tracking Franchise Tax Bills
Tax relief has become a key issue in the final weeks of the legislative session, and nearly all of the relief efforts are focused on the franchise tax paid by businesses. Use our interactive to track the status of those bills.
Posted in
State Government
Leaders Find Agreement on Budget’s Finer Points
State budget leaders adopted unified proposals for several areas of the budget on Monday morning but said they are still working on the two largest pieces: education and health and human services.
Posted inState Government
On Austin Visit, Obama Sings City’s Praises
President Obama said Thursday that Austin was the perfect spot to kick off his “Middle Class Jobs and Opportunity” tour because the city was doing so many things right economically. Obama stopped by Manor New Tech High School and also visited a pair of Austin companies, Applied Materials and Capital Factory.
Posted in
Economy
Obama’s Austin Visit to Start With Perry Meeting
President Obama will begin his swing through Austin on Thursday with a brief meeting with Gov. Rick Perry on the tarmac at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Posted in
Health care
As Clock Ticks, Medicaid Expansion Dwindles
UPDATED: With the prospect of Medicaid expansion on life support, protesters gathered at the Capitol on Wednesday to urge state leadership to expand coverage to poor adults, and state Democrats announced that they’re still searching for a legislative vehicle to expand coverage.
Posted inState Government
Legislature Honors World War II Vets, Including Perry’s Father
The House and Senate took time on Wednesday to honor the state’s living World War II veterans, including Gov. Rick Perry’s 88-year-old father, Ray Perry.
Posted in
Economy
House Gives Early OK to Franchise Tax Measure
UPDATED: The House’s most sweeping attempt at tax reform this year passed on a preliminary vote on Tuesday after hours of at times acrimonious debate. House Bill 500 which would spend an estimated $667 million over the next biennium.