Politics & Policy
January 18, 2017
On Schools, Straus Plays with House Money
In jab at Senate, House budget proposal makes $1.5 billion in property tax relief contingent on school finance overhaul.
State Budget
Politics & Policy
May 28, 2015
The Legislature Is Hoarding $18 Billion of Your Money
The Legislature is leaving unspent $18 billion that could go to further tax cuts or repairs to infrastructure or even, perhaps, to education.
Politics & Policy
March 3, 2015
Harvest of the skinflint
When adjusted for population growth and inflation, state spending has remained almost flat since 1994. Is there a price for such frugality?
Politics & Policy
March 31, 2011
Sneak Attack on Public Integrity Unit?
Buried in the four-inch stack of amendments to the house budget bill is a subtly crafted ambush on the Public Integrity Unit of the Travis County District Attorney’s office. This is the outfit that investigates corruption cases involving public officials, the most famous of which in recent memory was Ronnie
Politics & Policy
March 30, 2011
Pre-filed amendments to budget bills set the stage for culture wars on spending
The next several days of Texas House budget debate may be as much about the culture wars as state spending. Pre-filed amendments to the three budget-related bills before the House contain limitations on private school vouchers, funding for Planned Parenthood and directives to higher education to fund centers for traditional
Politics & Policy
March 28, 2011
R.G.’s Take: What the Lean House Budget Bill Means for State Employees
(Editor’s note: Every week, for the remainder of the legislative session, BurkaBlog will be publishing an original column by R.G. Ratcliffe, who was the state political reporter for the Houston Chronicle for twenty years. During those two decades, I’ve known R.G., who resigned from the Chronicle in February to work
Politics & Policy
January 21, 2009
So predictable
A statement from Talmadge Heflin (who else?) at the Texas Public Policy Foundation: “The first draft of the 2010-11 Texas state budget reinforces the message from Comptroller Susan Combs’ revenue estimate last week. The Texas Legislature needs to get to work on pruning the next state budget back within the