Gov. Rick Perry has said the Rainy Day Fund should be preserved as an insurance policy against natural disasters, but Texas can’t actually dip into it until the next legislative session — in 2013.
Rainy Day Fund
Posted in
Economy
Perry and the Stimulus: It’s Complicated
Gov. Rick Perry likes to rail against the Obama administration’s “failed” federal stimulus program, but he and state lawmakers have more than $17 billion in fed-stim dollars to thank for the last two balanced Texas budgets.
Posted in
Public Education
Video: Donna Howard on Rainy Day Funding for Schools
An amendment from Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, that would have directed surplus money from the Rainy Day Fund to pay for enrollment growth in public schools perished in conference committee, but came up again in debate before the final vote on a fiscal matters bill to which it was attached.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
An Everybody-in-the-Pool effort on what’s left to do in the special session, Ramshaw on a doozy of a congressional race shaping up, Aguilar on the debate over sanctuary cities and other immigration proposals, M. Smith on the state’s used-up Rainy Day Fund, Grissom on efforts to kick the special interests out of an insurance fight, Dehn and Tan on whether the special session helps or hurts the governor’s national ambitions, Galbraith and KUT Radio team up for a series on the long-term outlook for Central Texas water, Aaronson on government attempts to balance openness and privacy with data releases, yours truly on Amazon’s run at a sales tax break, and Hamilton on an ethnic gap in higher education: The best of our best from June 20 to 24, 2011.
Posted in
Health care
That $6 Billion Left in the Rainy Day Fund? Already Used, Some Say
Gov. Rick Perry’s neon-light promotion on the national stage of the $6 billion left in the Rainy Day Fund exposes a disconnect with the conservative lawmakers battling for his principles at home, where his party is working to divert negative public sentiment about the deep budget reductions.
Posted in
State Government
TribLive: Why Dewhurst Made the Ten Worst List
At this morning’s TribLive conversation, the authors of Texas Monthly’s biennial Best and Worst Legislators story explained why they put Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on the Ten Worst list.
Posted in
Health care
Video: The Week in Texas Politics Recap: June 6 to June 10, 2011
Want a quick recap of some of the happenings this week in the Texas Legislature? We’ve made it easier for you with our weekly video rundown of the action under the dome.
Posted in
Health care
Liveblog: A Make-or-Break Day for the Budget
With less than two days left in the legislative session, lawmakers set out to pay for the budget by passing SB 1811. Without it, the budget doesn’t balance and lawmakers will be forced to come back in a special session. It passed in the House, but was undone by a Senate filibuster.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
20 Weeks in Which the Budget Held Sway
The 82nd Texas Legislature’s regular session ends as it started, with lawmakers arguing about a shrunken state budget and redistricting.
Posted in
Economy
Liveblog: Lege Passes Budget Cuts of $15 Billion
Texas lawmakers passed a two-year state budget on Saturday that cuts $15.2 billion from current spending — most of that in health and human services — but avoids increased taxes and leaves $6.5 billion untouched in the state’s Rainy Day Fund.
