Tag Archives: rainy day fund

One Republican for the Rainy Day Fund

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. Kevin Eltife says what I suspect more than a few Republican legislators are thinking. “We have to find more revenue,” the former Tyler mayor and senator of seven years said [Thursday] morning during a committee hearing. “It’s insane … Continue reading →

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The Trib talks to Rob Eissler

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here are a few brief video clips from the Texas Tribune conversation with State Rep. Rob Eissler, who is the House Public Education Committee chair. The full audio is here. Eissler, who believes the Rainy Day Fund will at least … Continue reading →

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The California view of Texas’ budget situation

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I figure the folks at the LA Times enjoyed themselves writing this story. Texas Gov. Rick Perry delights in telling tales of his California “hunting trips” — hunting for businesses ready to flee the Golden State. But the latest budget … Continue reading →

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The state of the state

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Is strong, according to Rick Perry. So strong, in fact, that we’re going to kick the legs out of social services, because clearly we don’t need them. When the state faced a budget crisis in 2003, Gov. Rick Perry’s office … Continue reading →

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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 →

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It’s not just teachers’ jobs that are on the line

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Many other people will be thrown out of work under a cuts-only budget. “I don’t know that I’ll be able to stay in business,” said Jerre van den Bent, owner of Dallas-based Therapy 2000, a 3,000-employee agency helping children with … Continue reading →

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School districts begin preparing for the inevitable

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

If nothing else, we have a clear winner in the furloughs versus layoffs debate. School superintendents want more freedom in determining class sizes and permission to cut employee pay or to furlough teachers and other district employees, which school boards … Continue reading →

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Business leaders urged to oppose “cuts only” approach to the budget

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. Former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby is helping lead an effort to rally Texas business leaders against what he calls a “catastrophic” cuts-only approach to balancing the state’s budget in the face of a massive shortfall, estimated … Continue reading →

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Superintendents speak out against school funding cuts

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More of this, please. Speaking at a press conference during the Texas Association of School Administrators’ Midwinter Conference, superintendents and trustees urged the Legislature to use the Rainy Day Fund and search for new revenue through fees instead of the … Continue reading →

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Happy talk about Texas employment

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

2010 was a better year for employment in Texas than 2009 was. Texas employers expanded payrolls by 20,000 jobs in December, the third straight month the state has gained jobs, according to data released Friday by the Texas Workforce Commission. … Continue reading →

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The national folks notice Texas’ budget situation

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve probably seen this by now, but just in case you haven’t, here it is. Texas Gov. Rick Perry likes to tell Washington to stop meddling in state affairs. He vocally opposed the Obama administration’s 2009 stimulus program to spur … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Tax expenditures

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

According to a legislative report prepared by the Ways and Means Committee, Texas is losing over $4 billion per biennium to various tax exemptions and expenditures. One of the largest carve-outs was for the natural gas tax, which totaled about … Continue reading →

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What school districts may do to respond to the budget cuts

Posted on January 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

They may raise taxes: Some school officials also are considering even more unpopular options – increasing property tax rates or eliminating special tax breaks. In some cases, even those moves aren’t expected to raise enough money to plug the worst-case … Continue reading →

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LSG on the budget

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Legislative Study Group, chaired by Rep. Garnet Coleman, now has an analysis of the Pitts budget outline, which you can read here. The main point to remember: How We Got Here: Built-In Budget Shortfall Comes from the 2006 Tax … Continue reading →

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The Pitts budget

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here it is, and if it is a shock to you, you haven’t been paying attention. The House’s starting-point budget proposal would provide for a total budget of $156.4 billion in state and federal money, a decrease of $31.1 billion, … Continue reading →

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The fate of the two-thirds rule

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Today’s the day we find out what rules the Senate will use. A lot of people seem to think that despite Dan Patrick’s best efforts, the two thirds rule will stay mostly, if not entirely, intact. The Statesman editorialized in … Continue reading →

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We have a number for the hole

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There’s actually more than one number that can be used to accurately describe the state budget deficit, depending on what your perspective is, but however you look at it, it’s big and it’s no longer projected or theoretical. State Comptroller … Continue reading →

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Please use the Rainy Day Fund

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t have any faith that those who need to hear this are listening, but as the 82nd Lege gets gaveled in today, it still needs to be said. A coalition of progressive organizations from throughout Texas called for “a … Continue reading →

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There’s no such thing as a rainy day

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Rainy Day Fund? What Rainy Day Fund? State budget writers will propose eliminating agencies, cutting others to a quarter of their current size and laying off state employees to balance the budget without raising taxes or using the state’s Rainy … Continue reading →

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The deficit debacle

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Think things are bad now? Just you wait. Texas faces a budget crisis of truly daunting proportions, with lawmakers likely to cut sacrosanct programs such as education for the first time in memory and to lay off hundreds if not … Continue reading →

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We will keep trying the same solutions until they work

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Speaker Straus says that all options are on the table for dealing with the budget shortfall, as long as we’re talking about spending cuts. The table isn’t big enough to accommodate any other kind of options. Straus, R-San Antonio, said … Continue reading →

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It’s the “I am rubber, you are glue” election

Posted on March 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron notes that some of the charges that the two gubernatorial campaigns will lob at each other could easily be lobbed right back at themselves. Perry slammed White for not ruling out new taxes, pointing to 2003, when state … Continue reading →

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What passes for good budget news these days

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Sales tax revenue didn’t decline as much as in previous months. In February, the state’s sales tax collections were down 8.8 percent compared with the same month a year earlier. Though still in the red, the February figure looked better … Continue reading →

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D Magazine on John Carona

Posted on February 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting profile, worth a read, on State Sen. John Carona, who’s become somewhat of a radical in his party for actually being old-fashioned enough to try to solve problems and make government work. I think he’s right about this: With … Continue reading →

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Perry (not) for President

Posted on January 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

By now you’re probably aware of the current Texas Monthly cover story, in which Paul Burka makes the case that Rick Perry is positioning himself for a run at the Presidency in 2012. I don’t care to get into a … Continue reading →

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Did I mention that we’re facing a revenue shortfall?

Posted on December 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In case I haven’t beaten this horse beyond recognition yet, the stimulus money really saved our budgetary bacon this year, and without something equally dramatic, we are so screwed in 2011. “It was a deficit budget as written,” said Scott … Continue reading →

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State sales tax revenues way down

Posted on November 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The 2011 legislative session is going to be so much fun. Sales tax revenues have taken double-digit dives for five months running; in each of those months, the state’s income from those taxes has been more than 10 percent lower … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Our friend the stimulus package

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Jason Embry tells us just how much Texas relied on the stimulus package this year. A new report from the National Conference of State Legislatures shows that federal stimulus dollars played a large role in allowing Texas lawmakers to balance … Continue reading →

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Berman not running for Governor

Posted on July 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

That’s too bad, because it means the Republican primary won’t be as mean, nasty, and bats-in-the-belfry crazy as it could have been. But while Leo Berman won’t be in the race, Bermanism will be. Gov. Rick Perry and Rep. Leo … Continue reading →

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Is there a problem with the stimulus funds?

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I hope not. The debate over whether Texas lawmakers can use federal stimulus money to boost education spending, including funding a raise for teachers, is heating up. The Obama administration warned states Thursday it may withhold millions of dollars if … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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