Gov. Rick Perry has a history of using his line-item veto pen to rack up some big numbers of supposed "savings," but on the eve of his handling of the two-year state budget, some hope the Republican governor will go...
Forecasts that more Texans battered by the recession will qualify for free health care under the Medicaid program will require that the program receive nearly $1 billion more in state funds, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst announced today. "One cloud has...
House members sent a two year, $178.4 billion budget to the Senate. It was a grueling, 18-hour marathon. The love in has started. "I have even seen Garnet Coleman and Debbie Riddle arm in arm," said chief budget writer Jim...
The House just approved a budget provision forcing Gov. Rick Perry to risk losing his precious deal-closing money if he persists in trying to reject extra federal stimulus funds for unemployment insurance. The House approved giving the governor that Hobson's...
Sort of repeating what it did last session, the House tonight repudiated -- or at least declared independence from -- two education nostrums popular with conservatives: merit pay for teachers, and vouchers to pay private school tuition for some low-income...
The House by acclamation just slashed the budget of the governor's office by $22.7 million over two years. The House's move left Gov. Rick Perry with only $900,000, money from interagency contracts, to run his office in the next budget...
While the House piddles -- Republicans are shooting down, right and left, indignant Democrats' stabs at Gov. Rick Perry's deal closing fund -- let's go back to the sales job House leaders are attempting on their use of federal stimulus...
Scene from the sausage factory: Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman (right), just got into a shouting match with Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, over this rather obscure question: Should the Texas Ethics Commission get a nudge from the budget bill to...
Maybe you've been confused since late January or February, when we heard that $16 billion or more would flow to Texas state government from the federal stimulus package. Lately, you read budget stories that speak of using $11 billion of...
Jim Pitts says if lawmakers didn't accept stimulus money, they'd "be left with few alternatives. We could've tapped the 'rainy day fund' to cover our budget gap or we could've substantially cut services in order to balance the budget." Bad...
BUDGET DEBATE UPDATE: While all 27 members of the Appropriations Committee drone on about their terrific work (their words), let's analyze how chief House budget writer Jim Pitts tried to defend leaders' decisions to take federal stimulus money (though, so...
The House has begun its budget debate. Chief budget writer Jim Pitts sought to defuse any rage over rejections of pet spending projects. While boasting the two year budget's "not full of special items earmarked for specific members," Pitts put...
The budget won't be on the House floor until Friday, April 17. But members are warming up their vocal chords today. First, Rep. Norma Chavez, D-El Paso, dissented when the Calendars Committee approved a rule limiting floor amendments on the...
We'll have more details on the Web shortly, but House budget writers this morning sent to the floor a two year budget that would spend nearly $4 billion less than the budget that the Senate approved last week. The key...
The House's chief budget writer, Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, drew chuckles at a symposium today with a jibe at his own party. The back story: At the session's start, GOP leaders submitted a bare bones budget. It was a few billion,...
After the Senate this evening passed the budget, 26-5 -- all 5 no votes were from Democrats -- a reporter asked Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Sen. Steve Ogden whether they fear a sagging economy could drag down Comptroller Susan...
Five conservative groups wrote lawmakers today urging they not pay for Hurricane Ike repairs out of the state's "rainy day fund," as proposed by Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, (right) and other House budget writers. "Other funds are available," said the...
Current House Appropriations Committee Chairman Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, had this quip about his iffy status as the House's top budget writer, now that his ally Tom Craddick is being shoved out of the speakership: "I'm probably a lame duck budget...
Newsletter sign-up: Top Headlines
Widgets
Get Breaking News on your cell