This week, the House and the Senate named the members of a conference committee that will resolve the differences between the two chambers’ budget plans. Here’s a look at how the two proposals compare, with details on some areas where the plans diverge.
84th Legislative Session
Posted inState Government
Budgetline: The Cemetery at the End of the Budget
In this episode of Budgetline, an occasional TribCast series on the Texas budget, Aman and Ross explore the place at the end of the budget where unfunded items go. While it’s charitably referred to as “the wish list,” budget watchers say it more often serves as “the cemetery,” or “where dreams go to die.”
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State Government
Analysis: Tax Cuts an Easy Way to Grade State Lawmakers’ Work
The Texas Legislature has fewer than six weeks left in this session and thousands of bills to consider. But you can get a pretty good feel for how things are going by watching their efforts to cut taxes.
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Politics
Grassroots Advisory Panel Creates Drama for Patrick
The panel of conservative activists that is advising Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is putting him in a tricky spot as he navigates leadership politics under the dome.
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State Government
Senate Announces Budget Negotiation Team
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has named the Senate lineup of budget negotiators who will meet with House counterparts and hash out a final version of the two-year state budget.
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Politics
Legislative Tensions Peak at Leadership Breakfast
A weekly leadership breakfast went sour Wednesday as the state’s top three officials complained to one another about legislative packages and the tensions between a House and Senate that have just weeks left to complete their work.
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State Government
Straus Taps House Team for Budget Negotiations
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus Wednesday named his five-member team to craft a final budget for the next two years, and House members urged the team not to focus on tax cuts — a contentious issue between the House and Senate.
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Higher Education
Senate Committee Backs Hazlewood Program Changes
Amid concerns raised about the rising costs of a college tuition program for military veterans, a Texas Senate panel on Wednesday backed a plan that would tighten eligibility rules.
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State Government
Analysis: Legislative Dance Partners Stepping on Each Other’s Toes
The Texas House and Senate are ignoring each other’s work, slowing progress on bills like open carry and border security legislation. They’re ruffling feathers, too.
Posted in
Public Education
Seniors Who Fail State Exams May Have Chance at Diploma
Thousands of high school seniors who haven’t passed the required state exams are close to getting a chance at a diploma anyway under a measure advancing in the Texas Legislature.
