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Senate Crafts Their Budget Proposal, Promising Not To Increase Taxes

April 20, 2011

Over the past few weeks, the Texas Legislature has been occupied with constructing a budget for 2012-2013 that will alleviate the current budget shortfalls and not cause problems in the future. The House passed their $164.5 billion budget on April 3, and meanwhile, the Senate has been diligently working to craft their less intense budget plan while upholding their promise not to raise taxes. The Senate budget is alleged to be close to $16 billion more than the House plan.

Texas House of Representatives Passes Budget Without Raising Taxes

April 15, 2011

On April 3, 2011 the Texas House of Representatives passed their budget for the 2012-2013 biennium. House Bill 1 is a $164.5 billion, two-year budget that reduces spending by 3.7 percent from general revenue and 9.7 percent overall, which is approximately $23 billion less than the current budget that ends August 31, 2011.

Tea Party Groups Speak Out On Expanding Gambling

April 7, 2011April 7, 2011

Earlier this week, Texas Insider wrote an article following the first House Licensing Committee hearing this year. The hearing prompted an immediate response from an organized faction of five Tea Party groups who wrote a letter to Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst strongly opposing the expansion of gambling in Texas. The Tea Party groups wrote in support…

Vote for Rainy Day spending likely Thursday night

April 1, 2011

Before lawmakers can write a state budget for the 2012 – 2013 budget cycle, they must first agree on how to pay the state’s bills which come due in the current budget cycle between now and August; bills like electricity for schools and salaries for teachers.

50 facts about the House’s proposed state budget

April 1, 2011April 1, 2011

Thursday was a big day in the House, with members voting to approve cuts and rainy-day-fund use to close the $4 billion shortfall in the current budget. You can read all about it here.

Would Higher Taxes Save Our Schools?

March 30, 2011April 1, 2011

As school districts around the state try desperately to close their budget gaps, a lot is at stake including hundreds of local jobs and higher taxes. But who’s to blame and what can we do to secure the future of quality public education?

In these tough times, higher taxes are a tough sell. Many want the state legislature to clean up its mess. Joe Smith with the school finance watchdog group texasisd.com has been to the front lines and said it looks grim.