We liveblogged the full debate over HB 1, the House version of the general appropriations bills for the next biennium, which passed late Sunday night 98 to 49.
82nd Legislative Session
Posted in
Economy
State Senators in Tricky Search for More Money
It’s not just that state Sen. Robert Duncan doesn’t like gambling. He doesn’t think he could get legalized casinos approved. But Duncan’s got a mission: Find $5 billion to $6 billion.
Posted in
Economy
Video: Lawmakers React to Budget Bills; Look Ahead to HB1 Battle
State Reps. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, and Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, react to the passage of HB4 and HB275, and preview of the upcoming battle over HB1, the House’s bare-bones general appropriations plan for the next biennium.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
House Lawmakers Propose Privatizing All State Jails
House lawmakers are considering a plan to privatize all of Texas’ state jails for low-level felony offenders, a move they say could save the state up to $40 million.
Posted in
State Government
Supporters Rally Around Texas Historical Commission
With the strum of a guitar and the whine of fiddle strings, Ray Benson and two other members of his band Asleep At The Wheel kicked off a rally Thursday to support the Texas Historical Commission, which faces deep budget cuts.
Posted in
State Government
House Gives Early OK to Bills Balancing ’11 Budget
House lawmakers voted this afternoon to preliminarily pass HB 4 and HB 275, two bills that together will balance the state’s budget for the remaining months of the fiscal year through a mix of spending cuts and use of the Rainy Day Fund.
Posted in
Economy
Plenty of Politics in Budget Amendments
Numbers aren’t all that’s buried in the budget. Lawmakers have filed hundreds of amendments that are political in nature, from repealing in-state tuition for illegal immigrants to trying to push Planned Parenthood out of the family planning business.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Guns on Campus Bill Heads to Senate Floor
The Senate Criminal Justice Committee today approved a controversial bill that would allow students to carry concealed handguns on college campuses.
Posted in
State Government
LiveBlog: House Debates Rainy Day Bills
We’re liveblogging from the House floor, where lawmakers are expected to vote on HB 4 and HB 275, two bills that would balance the Fiscal Year 2011 budget and authorize lawmakers to withdraw $3.1 billion from the Rainy Day Fund.
Posted in
State Government
VIDEO: GOP Freshman Lawmakers Discuss Tea Party Influence, Budget Clout
Thirty new GOP state lawmakers took office this year, promising their constituents they’d cut the fat out of government. As the House prepares to vote on a slew of budget bills on Thursday and Friday, this freshman bloc is showing some clout.
