The leadership battles in the Texas Legislature are often attributed to personalities — or to traditional House-Senate rivalries. But there’s another factor: The Republicans in power are from different factions of their party.
budget
Posted in
Politics
Texas poised to spend $2.5 billion on urban highway projects
As budget writers and lawmakers eye billions in voter-approved highway money for other matters, transportation officials are touting high-profile projects that will benefit from those funds.
Posted inState Government
Zerwas on Texas budget, school choice and bathroom bill (video)
Full video of Evan Smith’s 2/23 conversation with Texas House Appropriations Chair John Zerwas, R-Richmond.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas House’s chief budget writer: State shouldn’t cut border security funding
The Texas’ House’s chief budget writer said that President Trump’s emergence in Washington shouldn’t give state lawmakers license to slice hefty appropriations for border security — at least not yet.
Posted in
University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polls
UT/TT Poll: How Texas voters rank the state Legislature’s priorities
Most Texans don’t know the state faces a tight budget, but asked what they’d do in a pinch, many of them say they’d dip into the state’s savings account, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
Posted in
Public Education
House budget proposal would defund Gov. Abbott’s pre-K program
The House has proposed cutting all funding for a pre-K grant program that Gov. Greg Abbott has discussed as a priority this legislative session — setting the stage for a battle in the Legislature.
Posted in
State Government
Analysis: Lawmakers can turn to a bag of tricks to balance state budget
With an official forecast that less money will be available, the next state budget is tight. The finance folks are looking for money to make it balance, but don’t fret: They’ve got plenty of tax-avoiding, budget-balancing tricks in their bags.
Posted in
Politics
Rainy Day Fund takes center stage at first House budget hearing
Budget writers in the Texas House are considering tapping the state’s savings account because they have a lot less money at their discretion this session.
Posted in
Transportation
With money tight, Texas budget writers eyeing billions approved by voters for roads
More than a year after Texas voters approved routing billions in state sales taxes to roads and bridges, some lawmakers are questioning whether the first payment of $5 billion should move forward as planned.
Posted in
Public Education
Analysis: Texas makes do with broken but legal school finance system
It’s a confusing time in school finance — a maelstrom of local and state governments trying to master a byzantine system that is faltering in every way but the most important one: The courts say it’s broken, but constitutionally sound.
