Despite tense votes on vouchers and a setback for lawmakers who want to expand Medicaid, the Texas House passed its budget with overwhelming support after 12 hours of remarkably civil debate.
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
TribLive: Nichols and Phillips on the Vehicle Sales Tax
At Thursday’s TribLive conversation, state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, talked about a proposal to use vehicle sales tax revenue to meet our transportation funding needs.
Posted in
Transportation
TribLive: Nichols and Phillips on Toll Roads
At Thursday’s TribLive conversation, state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, talked about whether Texans are having “toll road fatigue” and the impact that toll roads are having on traffic congestion.
Posted in
Health care
House Members Pulling Women’s Health Amendments
Amid Thursday’s budget debate in the House, some Democratic and Republican members of the House have agreed to pull some divisive amendments related to women’s health.
Posted in
Economy
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.
Posted in
Politics
Teachers Group Not Endorsing Amendments From Freshmen
The Texas Retired Teachers Association says it does not endorse any of the controversial budget amendments filed by freshman House Republicans that would put more money into the teachers’ health insurance fund.
Posted inState Government
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.
Posted inState Government
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.
Posted in
Transportation
Citing Sequester, Perry Taps TxDOT Cash for Airports
Gov. Rick Perry and the Texas Department of Transportation are arranging to temporarily fund air traffic control towers slated to close next month at 13 Texas airports due to federal budget cuts related to the sequester.
Posted inState Government
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.