Perry's Call for Tax Relief is Subject of Confusion
The $1.8 billion in tax relief that Gov. Rick Perry called for this week was short on details, but the few that are out there are already sparking questions. Full Story
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Searching for Clues in Perry's State of the State
The governor stayed away from social issues and some obvious hot-button topics in his State of the State speech this week. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a political speech. Full Story
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Pitts and Williams Say School Funding Debate Can Wait
Ongoing school finance litigation will likely prevent the Legislature from discussing education funding issues this session, two Republican budget leaders said at a TribLive event Thursday. Full Story
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TribLive: Williams and Pitts on the Rainy Day Fund
At Thursday morning's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, and state Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, talked about the possibility of withdrawals from the Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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Charting the Budget
The first budgets from the House and Senate are out, marked by their authors as mere starting points. Here's how they compare to each other, and to the current budget. Full Story
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Perry Talks Water, Tax Relief in State of the State
In his seventh State of the State address, Gov. Rick Perry ignored controversial issues and urged state lawmakers to do the nitty gritty work of government: fund water projects, build more roads and improve education. Full Story
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Hot Seat: A Conversation with Hancock and Patrick
At last Friday's Hot Seat conversation at the University of Texas at Arlington, state Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-Fort Worth, and state Rep. Diane Patrick, R-Arlington, talked about public education, health care, the state budget and other issues in play in the 83rd session. Full Story
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Lawmakers Hope to Tap Rainy Day Fund, Duck Spending Cap
The state's top budget authority, the Legislative Budget Board, says lawmakers will have trouble accessing billions of dollars in the Rainy Day Fund without busting the state's spending cap. Full Story
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Spending Limit Could Make State's Rainy Day Fund Tougher to Tap
After years in which the state's spending limit was irrelevant, it may play a key role in budget negotiations this session, and it could make it tougher for lawmakers to tap billions of dollars in the Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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Lawmakers Considering Fees on Electric Cars
In search of new revenue for road construction and maintenance, Texas lawmakers are weighing whether to raise fees on electric cars, a move that is gaining ground in some other states. Full Story
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For Fourth Month in a Row, Texas Unemployment Rate Drops
The state's unemployment rate fell for the fourth month in a row in December, capping off a drop of more than 1 percentage point in the rate since December 2011, the Texas Workforce Commission announced Friday. Full Story
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Budget Plans Target Incentives and Testing
The budget proposals released by lawmakers this week show an interest in revamping school testing and the state's economic incentive programs. Full Story
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Report Recommends Changes to Tax Exemption for Fracking
A Legislative Budget Board report on how government can be more effective has recommended that the state reduce its gas tax exemption for hydraulic fracturing. Full Story
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Interactive: A Look at Growth in State Spending
The Texas Senate and House have released their first drafts of the state's next two-year budget. Use this interactive to explore how state spending has grown since 2004. Full Story
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Despite Surplus, House and Senate Offer Lean Budgets
Both the House and Senate proposed base budgets Monday that will not restore large cuts made to public education in 2011. Full Story
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TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Batheja on growing calls for infrastructure spending, Dehn and Rocha report on voters’ legislative wishes, Murphy counts noses in the new Legislature, KUT’s Philpott sniffs out a push for tax relief, M. Smith tracks House Speaker Joe Straus after his re-election, Kalifa’s lovely time-lapse look at the Legislature’s first day, Aaronson on the Medicaid expansion, Aguilar on hopes for immigration reform, Grissom on the tribulations of Kerry Max Cook, Hamilton looks into a college curriculum battle, and E. Smith’s TribLive interview with Michael Williams: The best of our best for the week of Jan. 7, 2013. Full Story
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Lawmakers Talk of Bold Measures This Session
Momentum is growing for Texas lawmakers to commit large amounts of money to address the state's long-term infrastructure needs, particularly water and transportation. Full Story
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Dire Budget Estimate Fit With Prevailing Politics
The two-year-old revenue forecast used to justify massive cuts in the current state budget was wrong — and not by a little bit. But the conservative Legislature elected in 2010 wasn't complaining. Full Story
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In Pitching Tax Relief, Perry Points Finger at Washington
In a speech calling for tax cuts in the new legislative session, Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday bashed the federal government for its "irresponsible" spending decisions and praised Texas' fiscal restraint. Full Story
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Dewhurst: Set Money Aside for School Lawsuits
In a wide-ranging interview, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst talked about the state budget, education, immigration, water, transportation, and his hopes and plans for the legislative session that began this week. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
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