Texas Senate passes $195.5B two-year budget plan

[TexasTowelie]

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A new state budget plan has cleared the first major vote in the Texas Legislature with passage of a $195.5 billion two-year spending bill in the Senate.

The budget approved Wednesday by the full chamber reflects a 7.7 percent increase in general revenue spending over the current budget that lawmakers cut to the bone in 2011. Following three hours of discussion on the Senate floor, the bill passed 29-2.

Republican leaders in the Senate lauded the 2014-15 budget proposal as making the best of sunnier economic fortunes than two years ago. Public schools gutted of $5.4 billion two years ago would win back about one-fourth of those historic cuts under the Senate bill.

Republican say the bill also leaves room for tax relief.

Source: http://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/Texas-Senate-passes-195-5B-two-year-budget-plan-4368981.php

[font color=green]The bill will be heard next in the House.[/font]

[TexasTowelie]

1. TSTA: Senate budget neglects Texas school children

Texas State Teachers Association President Rita Haecker said today that she hopes the House does a better job than the Senate in addressing the needs of Texas public schools, educators and students.

"Our state senators should not be congratulating themselves for neglecting the school children of Texas. The budget plan they approved doesn't come close to restoring the $1,062 that the Legislature cut from each student two years ago," Haecker said.

"Legislators must use all available funds, including the $12 billion Rainy Day Fund, to finish repairing the damage inflicted on the schools in 2011. This money belongs to the taxpayers, and most taxpayers expect lawmakers to spend part of it on their local public schools. There is enough money in the Rainy Day Fund to restore all the education cuts and meet other important state needs without raising another dime from Texas taxpayers," Haecker added.

A recent bipartisan poll commissioned by TSTA showed that two-thirds of Texas voters believe that restoring the school funding cuts should be a top priority for using the Rainy Day Fund. The support was strong among Republicans, Democrats and independents.

The Senate budget plan would restore only $1.5 billion, about one-fourth, of the $5.4 billion slashed from public school budgets two years ago.

http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/13241/texas-senate-passes-budget-that-fails-to-restore-education-cuts