Analysis: How Private Opinions Can Diverge From Public Votes
Tax cuts and politics ethics legislation have this in common: When lawmakers have to vote in public view, they're often forced to set aside their private opinions. Full Story
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Budget Panel Breakdown: Democrats Short on Slots, Long on Experience
The budget conference committee will hash out a compromise of the chamber’s respective 2016-17 budget plans. Committee members include two Democrats who rank as the most experienced budget negotiators on the panel. Full Story
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![Sens. Lois Kolkhorst, Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, Jane Nelson, Charles Schwertner, Joan Huffman and Reps. Larry Gonzales, Sarah Davis, Sylvester Turner, John Otto and Trent Ashby make up the 2015 budget conference committee.]()
Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Budgetline: Jane Nelson, From Renegade to Ringleader
In this episode of Budgetline, Aman and Ross sit down with Senate Finance Chairwoman Jane Nelson, who voted against her first state budget in 1993 as a freshman senator and is now in charge of writing that most essential piece of legislation. Full Story
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House Passes $4.9B Tax Cut Plan That Includes Sales Tax Cut
The Texas House tentatively approved a $4.9 billion tax relief plan Tuesday that includes a cut to the state’s sales tax, marking a clear line in the sand against the Senate, which favors property tax cuts. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, celebrates passage of his tax cut measures during the House session April 28, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Texas House GOP Caucus Endorses Sales Tax Cuts
With the Texas House set to vote on tax cuts, almost all of the Republicans in that chamber — 90 of 98 — signed a letter released Saturday endorsing sales tax cuts over the property tax cuts favored by the Texas Senate. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, discusses his border security bill.]()
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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. Full Story
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![State Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at a budget press conference on Jan. 27, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
A Look at How House, Senate Budgets Compare
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. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Emily Albracht and Todd Wiseman -
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." Full Story
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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. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick after votes on first reading of SB #11 March 18th, 2015]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
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. Full Story
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![Speaker Joe Straus on the floor of the Texas House on April 17, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Video: Seliger and Zerwas on Tuition Revenue Bonds
At our 4/16 conversation, state Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, and state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond — the chairmen, respectively, of the Senate and House Higher Education committees — talked about the need for new building projects on public university campuses. Full Story
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Analysis: A Senate Trying to Regulate Its Own Spending Habits
The Texas Senate wants to limit growth in the state budget — by adding a fifth spending limit to state law. Full Story
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![State Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, speaking at the Texas Public Policy Foundation legislative orientation session on Jan. 7, 2015.]()
Credit: Robin Daemmrich -
Analysis: Abbott Wants a Tax Cut Without Picking Sides on Proposals
As the House and Senate continue their "robust discussion" over whether to cut sales or property taxes, Gov. Greg Abbott touted his own preference, along with a way to avoid the fight: business tax cuts, along with whatever legislators decide. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott holds a press conference with Ellen Wood, president and CEO of vcfo on his plans to greatly reduce the Texas business franchise tax, on April 15, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Video: Senate Budget Debate Presents a Contrast
The Texas Senate passed out a state budget plan Tuesday that spends $211 billion over the next two years. The budget debate on the Senate floor contrasted greatly with the marathon budget debate in the House two weeks ago. Full Story
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Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Texas Senate Approves $211 Billion Budget
Senators on Tuesday voted 30-1 to approve the state's two-year budget. It will now go to conference committee to be reconciled with the House version. Full Story
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![Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, lays out the property tax relief portion of Senate Bill 1 for final passage in the Senate on March 25, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Unable to Tighten Spending Cap, Senate Built a New One
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Senate Republicans had hoped to amend the Texas Constitution to tighten the state's spending cap. Short of the needed votes, they passed a measure creating a new cap in state law instead. Full Story
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![State Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick touted legislation to exempt tax cuts from counting toward the state spending limit at a Capitol press conference on March 10, 2015.]()
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Analysis: Big Money, Little Ideas in Legislature
With a huge pot of extra money to inspire them or tempt them to make grand proposals, Texas lawmakers have opted for thrift over big ideas. That's a little out of character. Full Story
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Analysis: Lawmakers Contradict Themselves on Debt and Domain
Lawmakers try to do what voters want, but nobody promised consistency. That's why you can get the same legislators to reduce debt and increase it on the same day, or to argue for and against eminent domain in the same hearing. Full Story
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Senate OKs Bill That Would Tighten Spending Cap
The Senate passed a bill Thursday that would tighten the state's constitutional spending cap and make it tougher for future legislatures to break it. Senate Bill 9, by Sen. Kelly Hancock, passed with a vote of 19-12. Full Story
![State Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, speaking at the Texas Public Policy Foundation legislative orientation session on Jan. 7, 2015.]()
Credit: Robin Daemmrich -
Analysis: Something More Conservative Than Cutting Taxes?
As the House and Senate engage in what state Sen. Kevin Eltife calls "a bidding war" over cuts to sales and property taxes, the Tyler Republican is sticking to his guns: He thinks lawmakers should look at neglected projects before they cut taxes. Full Story
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![State Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, speaks during an interview with Texas Tribune CEO and Editor-in-Chief Evan Smith on April 9, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera