Polling Center: Budget Endgames and Public Opinion
The public doesn't closely follow legislative debates over the budget, but sometimes those budget debates line up pretty accurately with public opinion. Full Story
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Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Budget Agreement Hinges on Key Legislation
UPDATED: Despite looming deadlines, the House postponed on Monday a vote on Senate Joint Resolution 1, which would allow voters to decide whether to set up a fund for water infrastructure projects. Full Story
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Agenda Texas: Daily Drama at the Capitol
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: A look at how quickly things can change in the waning days of a Texas legislative session. Full Story
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House, Senate Negotiators Reach Deal on Budget
After days of negotiations, House and Senate representatives agreed to a budget plan that would add roughly $4 billion in extra funding for public education. It also paves the way for a $2 billion fund for water infrastructure projects. Full Story
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How Lawmakers' Pensions Would Grow Under Proposed Budget
The proposed state budget would increase state judge's base salaries by 12 percent — and would do the same thing to state legislators' pensions. Check out the added benefit by member. Full Story
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House Democrats: Budget Deal Still Not in Place
UPDATED: Half a day after Senate budget leaders said the contours of a budget deal were in place, confusion and uncertainty reigned in the Capitol as key negotiators argued over competing proposals. Full Story
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Budget Deal Remains in Flux After Hearings Canceled
UPDATED: The cancellation of two key committee hearings Thursday put into clear focus that budget negotiations, believed to be nearly done just two days earlier, remained ongoing. Full Story
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Agenda Texas: Busted Budget Negotiations
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: Several twists and turns marked Thursday's budget negotiations, and major sticking points remain. Full Story
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![Senate Finance Chairman Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, holds a copy of the state budget on the Senate floor March 20, 2013.]()
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Budget Deal May Not Come Until Thursday
UPDATED: Budget negotiations stretched late into the evening on Wednesday, but lawmakers said privately they didn’t expect to announce a deal until Thursday. Full Story
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Hope Remains for Partial Victory on Road Cash
With less than two weeks before the end of the 83rd legislative session, efforts to find more funding for the Texas Department of Transportation are sputtering. Full Story
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Pitts: Budget Leaders Close on School and Water Financing
State lawmakers would spend $3.2 billion for public education and $2 billion for water funding under plans being worked out by budget leaders, House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts said Tuesday. Full Story
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Medicaid Providers Make Last Push for Rate Hikes
In the waning days of budget negotiations, medical providers are pushing lawmakers to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates that were chopped two years ago. Full Story
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Interactive: Tracking Franchise Tax Bills
Tax relief has become a key issue in the final weeks of the legislative session, and nearly all of the relief efforts are focused on the franchise tax paid by businesses. Use our interactive to track the status of those bills. Full Story
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Leaders Find Agreement on Budget's Finer Points
State budget leaders adopted unified proposals for several areas of the budget on Monday morning but said they are still working on the two largest pieces: education and health and human services. Full Story
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Newsreel: Deadlines, Tax Cuts, Special Session
In the latest Texas Weekly Newsreel: With less than three weeks left in the legislative session, the deadlines are coming fast and furious, raising the stakes and prompting whispers of a special session if things don't get finished. Full Story
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A Well-Timed Budget Note From the Attorney General
Greg Abbott’s letter doesn’t have any new information in it, but the timing takes away what some — probably those further from the budget conversations than closer — saw as a possible solution for the Legislature’s financial logjam. Full Story
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TribLive: Tea Party Freshmen on the Rainy Day Fund
At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Reps. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth; Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford; and Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, explained their objection to dipping into the Rainy Day Fund to jump-start the state water plan. Full Story
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Abbott: Spending Limit Includes Rainy Day Fund
Spending from the state's Rainy Day Fund does, in fact, count against a constitutional limit on growth in the state budget, Attorney General Greg Abbott advised on Thursday. Full Story
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Can They Put Humpty Together Again?
The betting here is that state finance is the closing drama of the session and that in spite of the sharper debates here at the end, that everybody goes home singing Kumbaya. Full Story
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If the Legislature's in Town, Bills Aren't Dead
The legislative session is in its last month and most bills will die. But setbacks for the big stuff — water, transportation and the like — are usually temporary. Full Story
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Credit: Tamir Kalifa
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