Senate Finance Chairwoman Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, said she expected the Senate version of the budget to be debated by the full Senate next week, “probably Tuesday.”
84th Legislative Session
Posted in
Economy
Sales Tax Cut a Key Piece in Bonnen’s $4.9 Billion Tax Cut Plan
House Ways and Means Chairman Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, laid out a $4.9 billion tax cut plan Wednesday featuring cuts in sales taxes and business taxes. The Senate’s plan cuts business taxes and property taxes.
Posted in
State Government
Video: The Fight to Decriminalize Truancy
In Texas, children who miss a certain number of school days can be sent to truancy court, where they could face a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to $500. Advocates are pushing to make truancy a civil, rather than criminal, offense.
Posted in
Public Education
Aycock: School Finance Plan is “First Best Attempt”
Most Texas school districts would see increased funding under proposed changes to the state’s public education funding system, House Public Education Chairman Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, said Tuesday.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Report: State Lawmaker Threatened Paxton’s DPS Detail
State Rep. Borris Miles threatened to “beat up” a plainclothes DPS trooper while the lawman was guarding Attorney General Ken Paxton during a meeting at an Austin steakhouse, according to a report obtained by the Tribune.
Posted in
Economy
Bid for Rainy Day Fund Changes Moves Forward
The Texas House on Tuesday approved a resolution calling for a constitutional election over whether to send surplus dollars from the Rainy Day Fund into a new account to pay down state debt.
Posted in
Energy
Lawmaker’s Bill Aims to Prevent Another Fertilizer Plant Blast
State Rep. Kyle Kacal has introduced legislation that he hopes would prevent another accident like the explosion of a West fertilizer plant in 2013 that killed 15 and injured more than 200.
Posted in
State Government
Video: Nichols and Pickett on High-Speed Rail
At our 4/7 conversation, state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso — the chairmen, respectively, of the Senate and House Transportation Committees — took a dim view of the prospects for high-speed rail.
Posted in
Economy
Video: Nichols and Pickett on Road Funding
At our 4/7 conversation, state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso — the chairmen, respectively, of the Senate and House Transportation Committees — talked about their preferred methods of transportation funding.
Posted in
State Government
Video: Nichols and Pickett on Tolls
At our 4/7 conversation, state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso — the chairmen, respectively, of the Senate and House Transportation Committees — discussed the state’s reliance on toll roads.
