The House and Senate have adopted their rules. Committee lists are expected shortly with the exception of Senate Finance which has already had members named to the committee. In a 19-11 vote, the Texas Senate approved SB 14, the voter identification bill, Wednesday night after approximately 6 hours of debate.
Both the House and Senate have prepared their initial budgets. In General Revenue Funds (GR), including funds dedicated within GR, the Senate bill proposes $79.7 billion for the 2012-13 biennium; the House proposes $79.3 billion for the 2012-13 biennium.
Senate – 2012-13 General Appropriations Bill (Senate Bill 1)
House – 2012-13 General Appropriations Bill (House Bill 1)
Meetings/Hearings Held to Discuss Proposed Budgets
On January 28, 2011 at 10 a.m.; the Health and Humans Services Commission (HHSC) will be holding a work session offering a discussion and overview of the General Appropriations Act Article II and discussion of the 82nd Session.
A Town Hall Meeting with Carter Smith will be held for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) employees on Monday, January 31 at 10 a.m. to discuss the budget and other issues of interest.
The Senate Committee on Finance will hear invited testimony regarding SB 1, General Appropriations Bill in the Capitol Extension E1.036 (Finance Room) and will consider the following:
January 31, 10:00 AM
- Organization, Rules and Procedures
- Comptroller of Public Accounts – Layout of the Biennial Revenue Estimate
- Legislative Budget Board – Overview of Base Budget Recommendations
- Article II – Health and Human Services
- Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services
- Department of State Health Services
February 1, 9:00 AM – Article II – Health and Human Services
- Department of Family and Protective Services
- Department of Aging and Disability Services
- Health and Human Services Commission
- Special Provisions Relating to All Health and Human Services Agencies
February 2, 9:00 AM – Article II – Health and Human Services – Public testimony
February 3, 9:00 AM- Article II – Health and Human Services – Public testimony
February 7, 10:00 AM -Article III – Education
- School for the Blind and Visually Impaired & Special Provisions
- School for the Deaf & Special Provisions
- Texas Education Agency
February 8, 9, 10, 14, 15 9:00 AM – Article III – Education – Higher Education
February 16, 9:00 AM – Article I – General Government
- Office of the Attorney General
- Comptroller of Public Accounts – Fiscal Programs
- Social Security Contributions and Benefit Replacement Pay
- Office of the Governor – Trusteed Programs within the Office of the Governor
- Pension Review Board
- State Office of Risk Management
- Workers’ Compensation Payments
- Public Finance Authority
- Bond Review Board
- Article III – Education – Teacher Retirement System & Optional Retirement Program & Higher Education Group Insurance
- Article I – General Government – Employees Retirement System
February 17, 9:00 AM – Article I – General Government which includes, among others:
• Library and Archives Commission
• Department of Information Resources
• Commission on the Arts
• Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas
February 21, 10:00 AM – Article V – Public Safety and Criminal Justice which includes, among others:
- Department of Public Safety
- Alcoholic Beverage Commission
February 22, 9:00 AM – Article IV – The Judiciary
February 23, 9:00 AM – Article VIII – Regulatory
February 24, 9:00 AM – Article VIII – Regulatory & Article IX – General Provisions
February 28, 10:00 AM – Article VI – Natural Resources
March 1, 9:00 AM – Article VII – Business and Economic Development which includes, among others:
- Department of Housing and Community Affairs
- Workforce Commission
- Department of Transportation
More details and notices can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/Committees/MeetingsByCmte.aspx?Leg=82&Chamber=S&CmteCode=C540
Impacts to City from Proposed Budget Bills
From the budgets proposed both in the House and Senate we have compiled the following (partial) list of effects on cities. The House and Senate language were identical on the following issues below:
- The Urban Parks Fund, which is supported by the state sales tax on sporting goods, would be cut from $36 million per biennium to less than $1 million.
- The cities’ share of the mixed beverage tax would be cut by roughly $50 million per biennium.
- The $20 million appropriation for homeless programs in large cities would be zeroed out.
- The State Traffic Fine (a state fee added to traffic fines in municipal courts) would be increased by 50 percent, from $30 to $45.
- Library Grants would be cut from $30 million in the current biennium to less than $10 million.
If the appropriations language on the “state traffic fine” and the “mixed beverage tax” item would pass in the final budget bill; separate, enabling, legislation would also need to be passed on each item in order for those two items to take effect.
Impact and Responses for Public Education
The introductory budget proposals from the House and the Senate have reduced or eliminated certain funding for textbooks and full-day pre-K. However, Senator Florence Shapiro (R-Plano) while speaking to the SBOE last week addressed the Permanent School Fund and state funding for textbooks. Shapiro made it clear she wants to see textbooks funded this year. “To me the funding of instructional materials is one of those non-negotiables,” Shapiro said. “This fund will not be raided on my watch.”
The Full-Day Pre-K program is also impacted by the budget proposals. The Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) $1.3 billion in discretionary grants, which fund among other things, full-day pre-K are among the programs that were eliminated in the House and Senate budget proposals. Although, the Senate proposal does insert a provision (rider 53) entitled “Grants for Effective Public Education” that would allow the Commissioner to allocate $200 million per year for the purpose of improving the effectiveness of public education which would include pre-k programs.