The two-year plan, which must still pass the full Senate, includes a $9 billion infusion for public schools and property tax relief and up to $900 million in cuts to Medicaid.
Edgar Walters
Edgar Walters worked at the Tribune from 2013 to 2020, most recently covering health and human services. Before that, he had a political reporting fellowship with the Berliner Zeitung, a daily newspaper in Berlin. He is a graduate of the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked as an editor for The Daily Texan. When not in the newsroom or at the Capitol, he could be found on the volleyball court, standing 6 feet, 7 inches tall.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas House approves 2020-21 budget plan, with extra $9 billion for school finance, property tax relief
The House also signed off on a $9 billion supplemental budget that would withdraw $4.3 billion from the state savings account.
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Texas Legislature 2019
The Texas budget is up for debate in the House. Here are four things to know.
House members have proposed more than 300 amendments to the chamber’s spending plan. The proposals that pass could have major implications for hundreds of other issues regulated by the state.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Everyone wants a piece of the Texas budget. It’s hard to succeed when most of the money is accounted for.
Disability advocates want the Texas Legislature to invest in pay raises for home care workers. Even in a year of surplus, it’s a difficult battle.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas lawmakers eye a record-breaking rainy day fund withdrawal
Proposals in the Texas House would spend $6.6 billion from the state’s savings account; the Senate would spend $4.4 billion.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas House committee backs budget plan with extra $9 billion for school finance, property tax reform
After passing through the House Appropriations Committee, House Bill 1 now goes to the full Texas House.
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Texas Legislature 2019
A federal safety net funds health care for uninsured Texans. Time is running short to negotiate its renewal.
A federal program known as the 1115 waiver helps pay for the costs of providing health care to the uninsured. Advocates want the Texas Legislature to order a renegotiation of the waiver, which partially expires in 2021.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas lawmakers look to the “cloud” for storing sensitive government data
In hopes of saving money on data storage, legislators are considering downsizing the state’s data centers and relying more on private tech companies.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Days after heated meeting, Texas Senate property tax committee passes 2.5-percent rollback rate bill
The Senate panel’s vote came despite fierce pushback from city and county leaders, who say a lower election threshold on increased property tax revenues could hamstring their budgets.
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Graphics and data reporting
Texas’ savings account is poised to hit $15 billion. How much will lawmakers spend?
As lawmakers debate costly investments in property tax reduction and public schools, they’re eyeing the state savings account for a sizable withdrawal.
