Tag Archives: Steve Ogden

Senate restores some funds to Health and Human Services

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Still not clear how they’re paying for any of it yet. The Senate Finance Committee voted Thursday to restore a less-than-expected $4.3 billion in health spending in 2012-13 but promised to try to find more money in the coming weeks. … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Senate restores some funds to Health and Human Services

Where the Senate is looking for revenue

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The hunt for $5 billion is on. Higher driver license fees and a hike in college tuitions are among potential money raisers as a special Senate panel searches for $5 billion in “non-tax revenue” to help fund key services, Senate … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Time for a corporate income tax?

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe, but don’t hold your breath waiting for it to happen. Senate Finance Chairman Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, said legislators should consider a constitutional amendment that would clarify that an income tax could be assessed on corporations but not individuals. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Time for a corporate income tax?

Comptroller finds a few more bucks

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Better than a sharp stick in the eye. Comptroller Susan Combs has revised the state’s 2011 revenue estimate by $300 million because of stronger-than-expected sales tax collections. That change would reduce the deficit in the current budget to $4 billion … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Comptroller finds a few more bucks

Taking sides on Amazon

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Lege weighs in on Amazon, with opposing bills. House Bill 2719, filed [Wednesday] afternoon by state Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, would favor Amazon’s efforts to avoid collecting tax for online sales by amending the state tax code to say … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Taking sides on Amazon

Ogden on board with Pitts about Rainy Day Fund

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. Steve Ogden, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, joins with his House counterpart Rep. Jim Pitts in endorsing the use of the Rainy Day Fund to at least close the deficit from the 2010-11 biennium. Senate Finance … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Ogden on board with Pitts about Rainy Day Fund

The balanced budget fantasy

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There’s really only one thing to say about this. One of Gov. Rick Perry’s campaign staples last year was that America would be a far better place if it were more like the Lone Star State — limited government, fewer … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The business lobby’s guide to balancing the budget

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Bill Hammond, the president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business, pens an op-ed with his preferred approach to the budget. The main thing to note is right here: The state has $72.2 billion available for general-purpose spending during … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Is everything on the table or not?

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Some things are more on the table than others. Tax breaks that encouraged high-cost natural gas drilling in Texas cost state government $7.4 billion in lost revenue over six years and would cost the state billions more if continued, according … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Kicking Grandma to the street

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another feature of the Republican budget. Hundreds of nursing homes, including dozens in Dallas-Fort Worth, may close if lawmakers cut Medicaid as leaders propose, industry officials said Thursday. Since last week, GOP leaders have introduced budgets in both chambers that … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Senate budget pretty much the same as the House budget

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There had been some talk that the initial Senate budget would be a little less harsh than the initial House budget, on the grounds that the Senate budget would at least use some of the Rainy Day fund, but that … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A few thoughts from Opening Day

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few random bits from today’s festivities… – In the end and despite the teabagger footstomping, the Speaker’s Race turned out to be a big nothingburger, which was what most rational people expected all along. There were a few … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

First they came for Medicaid

Posted on November 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Then they came for public education. School districts are being told they should expect to get an estimated $3 billion to $5 billion less in the next two-year budget as lawmakers begin wrestling with a $24 billion revenue shortfall in … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The entitlement argument against removing a sales tax exemption

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The House Ways and Means Committee, chaired by State Rep. Rene Oliveira, continues to examine tax expenditures such as sales tax exemptions, and the whining coming from some of the potentially targeted businesses is really starting to annoy me. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The entitlement argument against removing a sales tax exemption

Business tax falls short again

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Same story, next verse. The state business tax again comes due Monday, and no one is suggesting it will yield near the approximately $6 billion originally forecast. The tax is expected to bring in $4.3 billion this year. “I think … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Business tax falls short again

Where there’s a sacred cow, there’s a lobbyist protecting it

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Star-Telegram reminds us that while legislators may be hunting for sacred cows to help fill the budget gap, actually bagging them will be hard to do. The renewed look at tax breaks has generated a widespread case of jitters … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Nothin’ but good times ahead

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In his recent conversation with the Chron’s Peggy Fikac, State Senate Finance Committee Chairman Steve Ogden said the following: Q: How likely is it that lawmakers will face another big budget shortfall in 2013, with fewer resources to bridge the … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Nothin’ but good times ahead

First, you have to admit you have a problem

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Peggy Fikac has a frustrating conversation with State Senate Finance Committee Chairman Steve Ogden. I say frustrating because I know he knows what the correct answer to this is, and I also know he’s never going to say it out … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Election results: The Lege

Posted on March 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

There are way too many races to recap here, and since the Trib has done such a thorough job of it, I’ll leave the heavy lifting to them. A few highlights: – Steve Ogden easily won re-nomination in SD5, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

How are you going to balance the budget?

Posted on February 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re thinking that the candidates for Governor are being a bit vague about how they’re going to deal with the looming budget shortfall, you’re not alone. Texas expects a shortfall of at least $12 billion when lawmakers meet to … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Gattis drops out, Ogden to run for re-election

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this is a surprise. State Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown, confirmed today that he is dropping out of the race to succeed Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan. Ogden, who announced earlier this year that he was retiring from the Legislature, has … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Gattis drops out, Ogden to run for re-election

State sales tax revenues plummet

Posted on November 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise here. Sales tax and natural gas tax collections fell more than $1 billion short of projections in the 2009 fiscal year, according to a state comptroller’s report, fueling questions about the financial heartburn that may be ahead for … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dewhurst fibs about the budget and the stimulus

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

What Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst says: Given recent comments about our state’s budget, I feel it is time to separate fact from political fiction. The fact is, in stark contrast to the U. S. Congress, the Texas Constitution requires the … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The DMN on the food stamp situation

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s depressing reading these articles, but it’s important to do so, to really understand why we’re so screwed up. First and foremost, it’s an attitude problem. As in, the people who have the most power over it have the least … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The DMN on the food stamp situation

Gattis to run for Ogden’s seat

Posted on September 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As EoW says, this is a complete non-surprise. State Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown, has just informed supporters he is running for the Texas Senate District 5 seat being vacated by Bryan GOP powerhouse Steve Ogden. Via a Twitter message, Gattis … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ogden not running for re-election

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This was expected, and now it’s official. State Sen. Steve Ogden, a Bryan Republican and one of the Senate’s most powerful members as its chief budget writer, announced Thursday that he will not run for re-election next year. The decision … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

The biennial budget shuffle

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to billions of stimulus dollars, the budget this year relied on some old tricks to get certified as balanced. Nearly $3.7 billion in levies collected for everything from fighting air pollution to helping low-income people with their electric … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Two out of three ain’t bad

Posted on July 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So of the three items on the call for this special session, two of them are sailing along. SB2, the Senate bill to keep state agencies like TxDOT alive, has already passed the full Senate by unanimous vote and will … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Special session speculation

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We all know that the Lege adjourned without finishing all its business. A lot of people are speculating there will need to be a special session to deal with it. At this time, Governor Perry is not one of those … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Special session speculation

Budget heads to the Governor

Posted on May 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In the end, thanks in large part to the stimulus package and its infusion of funds that prevented the need to dip into the Rainy Day Fund, the budget process was relatively uncontroversial. Yesterday, it was passed by the House, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The zombie nominee

Posted on May 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the Senate confirmation of Don McLeroy as Chair of the State Board of Education, which we all thought had been scuttled back in April, got new life earlier this week when Senate Nominations Committee chair Mike Jackson, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Budget yes, UI not yet

Posted on May 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The conference committee on the budget finished its work yesterday. While final details are still emerging, the 10 conferees worked out a last minute plan for spending $700 million of federal stimulus money for state fiscal stabilization. They hope that … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Budget yes, UI not yet

Ogden stem cell rider removed from budget

Posted on May 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Sen. Steve Ogden just announced that his rider banning use of state funds for embryonic stem cell research will not appear in the new state budget. “We really couldn’t come to a consensus” so the bill will be silent … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Ogden stem cell rider removed from budget

Challenging Chet

Posted on May 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Via Eye on Williamson, I see the national GOP is once again looking to try to beat Rep. Chet Edwards in CD17. There’s little question Republicans are looking to target Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Texas), who could face yet another tough … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Challenging Chet