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impactnews.com • May 2011 | NEWS | 13
AT THE CAPITOL
Controversial budget stalls in Senate;
How Senate and House versions stack up
parties debate over state’s needs
$187.5 billion
2010–11 budget
By Marcus Funk
passed by the House calls for about
$164.5 billion
House budget
Dueling budget proposals with competing
attitudes toward Texas’ controversial
$23 billion in cuts from current spending
levels. The Senate Finance Committee’s
$172.8 billion
Senate proposal
rainy day fund reserve have developed in plan calls for about $11 billion in cuts from Spending levels in key sectors
the Capitol’s two chambers—and differ- current levels. The Senate’s committee
ences between the two may provoke con- version could change before reaching the
frontation, controversy or even a potential full Senate; it may have to if two-thirds of
special session this summer if the differ- the members do not agree to consider the
ences cannot be reconciled by June 1. rainy day fund proposal.
In early April, the Texas House of Rep- Democrats have said the budget butchresentatives
passed a spartan,
ers funding for public services and public
$164.5 billion budget plan which slices education, and voted unanimously against
$23 billion and about 12.3 percent from the House version. Sen. Kirk Watson,
state spending without raising taxes; it D-Austin, has called the budget a “disas-
uses $3.1 billion of the state’s rainy day ter,” and Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin,
fund, but only to plug unexpected holes said “it’s the worst we’ve ever seen” for
in the 2011 budget and not for expenses higher education funding.
in the debated 2012–13 budget. On
April 21, the Senate Finance Committee
Republican leaders said they are committed
to balancing the state budget with-
Source: Legislative Budget Board
sent a slightly more generous budget proout raising taxes; they said they know the “But there are people out there who are believe what we’re getting ready to see,
posal, $172.8 billion, to the full Senate for cuts are painful, and that the GOP isn’t unemployed, that have been for a long though, is still a budget that doesn’t take
consideration. It taps another $3 billion unsympathetic, but that cutting spending time, and they don’t have any interest in care of the priorities of the state, one that
of the rainy day fund for the upcoming was preferable to increasing taxes during seeing us raise taxes.”
does not provide the priority of public edu-
biennium, meaning that about two-thirds a recession.
Watson said he believes the Senate will cation the way it should, and health care.
of the reserve would be drained; if sales “It’s unfortunate that schools and public be more generous with state fund alloca- “I, for one, have taken the position that
tax rates climb during the interim, that health services are getting hurt. It’s unfortions, although it will not completely this budget is a disaster, but it’s not an
surplus would reduce cash flow from the tunate,” said Rep. Paul Workman, R-Aus- satisfy the current needs of the state. entirely natural disaster.”
rainy day fund.
tin. “And hopefully, between our version “I do think that you will see more money
Differences between the two versions and the Senate version, we’ll come up with on the Senate side than you saw on the
are substantial. The $164.5 billion budget something that won’t hurt quite as bad. House side,” Watson said. “Although I
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$11.8 billion