The House takes up the budget: a day in pictures
After more than 15 hours of debate, the Texas House passed its budget proposal early Friday morning, 131-16. Here's the story in pictures. Full Story
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![The Texas House of Representatives takes up the budget on April 6, 2017.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Texas budget writers have the cash, but won't let go of their tricks
The state has a Rainy Day Fund with billions of dollars in it, but Texas lawmakers would rather use accounting tricks to balance their next budget. Full Story
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House passes budget after more than 15-hour debate
After 15 and a half hours of debate on hundreds of amendments to the Texas House budget, lawmakers in the lower chamber passed the two-year, $218 billion document, with 131 votes in favor and 16 votes against. Full Story
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![State House Speaker Joe Straus on the floor as the House takes up the budget on April 6, 2017.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Amid clash over procedure, Texas House moves to defund Enterprise Fund
While the Texas House on Thursday voted to defund a controversial economic development program and put the money toward services for vulnerable children, a group of Tea Party Republicans complained about the way the vote was handled. Full Story
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![As the state House debates its $218 billion budget on April 6, 2017, Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, tells a packed house that he is upset about a procedural battle that caused his voice to be silenced.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Three things to know as the Texas House kicks off a marathon budget debate
If history is any guide, the Texas House is poised for a long day with its fair share of drama as the chamber takes up a $218 billion budget that has drawn 400 proposed amendments. Full Story
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![With less than a week before lawmakers convene, preparations are underway to welcome members of the state House of Representatives for the 85th session of the Texas Legislature.]()
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O'Rourke vs. Cruz, budget and bathroom bill (podcast)
On this week's Tribcast, Aman talks to Evan Patrick and Alexa about U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke's campaign to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, the marathon House budget debate coming on Thursday, and the NCAA's stance on the bathroom bill. Full Story
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House budget amendments seek to ignite controversial topics
House lawmakers seek to force debate on controversial topics such as transgender rights, bathroom use, border security and abortion when the state's proposed two-year budget comes up on the House floor on Thursday. Full Story
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Texas House budget writers send budget to full House with massive health care cut
“I am absolutely confident that services won’t be compromised," state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond, said of the cuts. Full Story
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![Nelda Hunter, House Appropriations Committee clerk, confers with chair State Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond, during a public hearing Feb. 15, 2017 on health and human services funding and border security.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate approves its budget, shifting school costs to local taxpayers
The Texas Senate passed budget that would shift $1.8 billion in public education costs to local taxpayers. Full Story
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![Sen. Jane Nelson R-Flower Mound celebrates after the budget bill passes unanimously on March 28, 2017]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Don’t fret — it’s too early to say Texas lawmakers will blow this
The denizens of the Texas Capitol are already talking about the possibility of a special session if lawmakers haven't finished the budget and other bills by Memorial Day. They might be worried, but you shouldn't be. Full Story
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Analysis: Is this Texas state budget trick constitutional?
The Texas Senate is proposing a new accounting trick to balance its 2018-19 budget. The contrivance would work, mathematically speaking, but it raises constitutional questions and faces derision from the House. Full Story
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![Road crews were prolific in the Midland region in 2016 following an oil boom, when heavy truck traffic obliterated highways.]()
Credit: Jerod Foster for The Texas Tribune -
Texas poised to maintain most of its border funding for Trump's first years
Despite the Trump administration’s early moves to ramp up detentions and deportations and build a border wall, Texas budget writers don't appear likely to significantly dial back funding for state-based border security operations this year. Full Story
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![A DPS trooper spots a motorist along Highway 83 in Starr County.]()
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Texas Senate accounting maneuver finds $2.5B in budget; Straus calls it “cooking the books”
By delaying a diversion of sales tax money for transportation projects, Texas Senate leaders said they had an additional $2.5 billion to spend on needs such as health care and schools. Full Story
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![State Sens. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, and John Whitmire, D-Houston, at a hearing on Senate Bill 2 on March 14, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Cutting the Texas budget, even with money on hand
If Texas legislators cut the state budget this year, it won't be because they didn't have the money. It'll be because they didn't want to spend the money they have. Full Story
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Analysis: State boosts local accountability while eroding local control
At about the same time this week, one set of Texas lawmakers was working on ways to limit the growth of property taxes that fund local governments while another was considering legislation that could cost local governments a lot of money. Full Story
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Universities face funding cuts of 6 percent to 10 percent in Senate plan
In an attempt to make major changes in how higher education is funded, the Senate Finance Committee is proposing major cuts to each state university. Full Story
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Texas bullet train firm calls provision added to budget a "job killer"
Officials with Texas Central Partners, the private firm developing the Houston-Dallas high-speed rail line, said the rider added to the state senate's proposed budget Wednesday would put their project at risk. Full Story
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![A high-speed Texas train is planned to run near railroad tracks along Hempstead Road in northwest Houston.]()
Credit: Brandon Formby for The Texas Tribune -
House proposal could claw back billions Texas voters approved for roads
The Texas House’s chief budget writer filed legislation Friday that would pave the way for lawmakers to claw back billions of dollars that voters approved for state highways, freeing them up for other budget needs. Full Story
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Analysis: The party in power in Texas acts more like two parties at war
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. Full Story
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![House Speaker Joe Straus and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick at a Texas Legislative Budget Board meeting on December 1, 2016.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for the Texas Tribune -
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. Full Story
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![Cars back up during afternoon weekday traffic on southbound Interstate 45 in Houston north of downtown.]()
Credit: Brandon Formby