A bill designed to find cost savings and efficiencies in Texas’ costly Medicaid program — and, more controversially, expand managed care into the Rio Grande Valley — is moving to Senate budget writers for consideration.
Economy
Get the latest on jobs, business, growth, and policy shaping the state’s economy with in-depth reporting from The Texas Tribune.
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Economy
Top Budget Players in Race to Find Revenue
The Big Men on Campus in the school known as the Texas Legislature have the unenviable job of finding money that might alleviate the massive cuts outlined in House Bill 1, the general appropriations bill for the next biennium.
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Economy
Tax Panel Considers Making $1M Exemption Permanent
The House Ways & Means Committee is considering several bills that have the same mission: to make permanent the franchise tax exemption for businesses that report $1 million or less in gross revenue.
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Economy
Is an Incomplete Budget Better Than a Shrunken One?
There’s a widely held belief around the Capitol that lawmakers balanced a troublesome budget in 2003 with a convenient underestimation of how many people would need to be served. So why not do that on purpose, and out in the open?
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Economy
Word Cloud: House Budget Debate
Data don’t lie: Amendments dominated the House floor last Friday as Representatives debated the budget bill. A visualization of the House transcript reveals “amendment” was the most used word.
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Criminal Justice
The Week in Texas Politics Recap: Apr. 4 to Apr. 8
No time to follow every twist and turn of the Texas Legislature? We’ve made it easier for you with our weekly recaps of the action under the dome.
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Economy
When Cutting the Budget Actually Costs Money
Cutting the budget can be expensive. Something that appears to save money can, on further inspection, cost more. Family planning, for instance.
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Economy
It’s Senate vs. Austerity in Fight Over Budget
The betting game has already begun on whether the budget battle between a more moderate Senate and a far stingier House will lead to a standoff — and a special session in the summer. The two budget committee chairmen refuse to say whether one body may have more sway than the other in the final outcome.
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Economy
Senate List of $5.5 Billion in Revenue Proposals Leaked
Texas senators scratching for new state revenue canceled a meeting to talk about their options today, but a copy of their list got loose — and it includes $5.5 billion in taxes, fees, asset sales and accounting tricks that could be used to ease their budget problems.
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Economy
Video: Senate Signals Big Changes In Store For HB 1
The Texas House sent its budget blueprint to the Senate this week. But many senators say those cuts are too deep, and they’re ready to make some drastic changes.