Category Archives: Budget ballyhoo

School finance reform bills on tap

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Whether you look at the House budget or the slightly less drastic Senate version, public schools will not get the funding they are due under the current defined formulas. That means that how the funds are distributed needs to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on School finance reform bills on tap

Senate pushes back on House efforts to redirect family planning funds

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A little sanity is always nice to see. State budget cuts taking aim at Planned Parenthood may limit the availability of family planning services for many poor Texans and have the unintended consequence of increasing unwanted pregnancies, two key lawmakers … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Senate pushes back on House efforts to redirect family planning funds

Tax breaks are spending, too

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s see who among the “we have to live within our means” crowd opposes this. Faced with a looming budget shortfall, the Senate’s most powerful member is carrying legislation that would cap state spending on school property tax breaks that … Continue reading →

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

Harris County prepares to get hammered

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The House budget will cost Harris County a bundle if it passes as is. Harris County health care providers would lose more than $2 billion in Medicaid funding under the Texas House budget that passed Sunday night, according to an … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Harris County prepares to get hammered

The arbitrariness of our tax code

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Wick Allison points out the winners and losers in Texas’ tax code. Suppose you’re a young artist and you want to create a video installation. To do it, you have to buy lighting equipment. You will pay a sales tax. … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

House passes its budget

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has a good writeup of how it went down on Sunday. Mot of the heavy lifting was done before then, in the bills that closed the books on the previous biennium and allocated Rainy Day funds for them … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on House passes its budget

How does school finance work, anyway?

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has a useful guide to this incredibly complex topic. Here’s our layman’s guide to figuring out the current system, compiled with the help of experts at the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, the Equity Center and the Texas … Continue reading →

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

It’s not just about cutting public education funding

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Abby Rapoport explains one of the potential long term consequences of the violence that’s being done to public education funding this session. For over 60 years, Texas has treated education differently than the rest of the budget. In funding most … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on It’s not just about cutting public education funding

Raising cigarette taxes

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Is any kind of tax increase possible for this legislative session? The House appropriations bill, scheduled for debate this weekend, would cut out the $10 million-a-year anti-smoking campaign, which remains a legacy of the state’s 1998 tobacco settlement. To save … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Budget debate resumes tomorrow

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Postcards: The Texas House [has called] it a night. They finished up the section of the budget bill that deals with public and higher education around 12:40 a.m. then adjourned until Sunday. Some members were planning to attend a Saturday … Continue reading →

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

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

What’s happening in the House

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The House will be debating the budget well into the night, and very likely into tomorrow, if not Sunday. If you want an in-depth analysis of what’s being discussed and what the effect of each line item will be, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on What’s happening in the House

A little budgeters remorse?

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just a little. Not much. As a vote looms on a bare-bones budget that would slash education and threaten nursing homes with closure, House GOP leaders softened their rhetoric on Tuesday to emphasize that it is a starting point and … Continue reading →

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

House votes to spend some Rainy Day funds

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib: House lawmakers preliminarily passed two bills Thursday that together will balance the state’s budget for the remaining months of the fiscal year through a mix of spending cuts and use of the Rainy Day Fund. The cuts … Continue reading →

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

What was this past election about?

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve seen the following quote from House Appropriations Chair Jim Pitts, in this Statesman story about some queasiness among lower chamber Republicans about the severe budget cuts, several times this past week, and I feel it needs a bit of … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Gambling interests tout job creation benefits

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: REPORT OUTLINES 77.5K JOBS BY REGION, SECTOR CREATED BY SLOTS BILL Confirms Texans Continue To Spend Billions Gaming in Neighboring States AUSTIN, Texas – Win For Texas released a new report today outlining the specific regions and … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

School district reserves

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Perry sure does like the idea of spending other people’s money. Pressed on using the Rainy Day Fund to help close of the state’s massive budget shortfall and avoid dramatic cuts, particularly to school funding, Gov. Rick Perry earlier … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Smaller cuts from the Senate

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Trail Blazers: The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday adopted a school funding plan for the next two years that would cut basic funding for school districts by nearly 6 percent – or $2 billion a year – to handle a … Continue reading →

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

The Lege’s job killing budget

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Do you think this is what all those people who came out to vote last November had in mind? The Legislative Budget Board, a nonpartisan state agency that helps lawmakers with budget numbers, predicts that House version of the 2012-2013 … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

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

What about the jobs?

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

With all of the public sector job cuts coming, will the private sector pick up the slack? This Statesman story paints a picture that I think is a tad bit too optimistic. Government employment, which includes local school districts and … Continue reading →

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

House Appropriations Committee passes a budget

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not much different than what they started out with. House budget-writers were able to sprinkle some extra money into education and health care but otherwise did little to change the bare-bones proposal with which they started. The 2012-13 budget … Continue reading →

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

Can the Lege pass a budget?

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Robert Miller: [T]here is a growing chasm between the House and the Senate on the budget. The Governor and House leadership have agreed to spend $3.2 billion from the Rainy Day Fund to balance the FY 2010-11 budget. But, the … Continue reading →

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

What the decision to use Rainy Day funds means for school districts

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From School Zone: As you might know by now — unless you’re tuning out the news over spring break — the House Appropriations Committee, with Gov. Rick Perry’s blessing, agreed to spend up to $3.2 billion from the rainy-day fund … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on What the decision to use Rainy Day funds means for school districts

SBOE wants its new textbooks

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

But it may not get them. State board members are growing increasingly anxious that lawmakers might not provide funding for new textbooks and instructional material – even though they’re giving the Legislature $1.9 billion from a 157-year-old endowment established to … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on SBOE wants its new textbooks

It’s a start

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Credit where it’s due, from a story about the Lobby Day effort by teachers and other public school supporters. New member Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, reminds folks that the current budget shortfall reflects a structural deficit that began in … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on It’s a start

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?

Still going through the couch cushions

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Senate is looking for funds wherever it can find them. Hoping to cushion the impact of proposed state budget cuts to public education and health care, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said Wednesday that a special subcommittee will be named … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What would you do to help your school?

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Would you do as much as this third grade girl? To 8-year-old Elodie Giles, art class isn’t a budget extra. It’s what she looks forward to every week. She’s just not certain she can look forward to it next year. … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on What would you do to help your school?

Spending money on medical students

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have two things to say about this story, which is about a budget rider that would concentrate the money the state spends on graduate medical residencies into the doctors’ first three years of training regardless of how long their … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Spending money on medical students

The itty bitty budget deal

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not nothing, but not by much. Gov. Rick Perry and House leaders struck a deal Tuesday to spend $3.2 billion from the state’s rainy day fund to fix one piece of the state’s budget shortfall. […] Perry said at … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

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

Rally redux

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Many of the folks who rallied in Austin on Saturday stayed around for an encore today. “At a time when our educators and our educational system is under attack more than ever before, we are here to let our lawmakers … Continue reading →

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

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