First Draft of House Budget: $89.1 Billion
The first budget draft leaves $5.5 billion in unspent projected revenue. It is expected to be filed Tuesday. Erik Reyna / KUT NewsBy KUT Staff and Bobby Blanchard
The first draft of the House budget comes in at $89.1 billion, and leaves $5.5 billion in unspent revenue.
“The filing of this budget will allow the House to formally begin a discussion about Texas’ priorities,” said House Appropriations Chair Jim Pitts (R-Waxahachie), in a statement. “This bill recognizes the demands of population growth on public schools and Medicaid, and steadfastly maintains the House’s commitment to fiscal discipline.”
The proposal is expected to cover enrollment growth in public schools, though some education advocates say it funds that growth at a lower per-student rate than in the past.
Democrats in the House are hoping to undo some of the $5.4 billion education cuts that were made in 2011, but Pitts has not commented on that possibility.
The proposal does not include any money for new grants for the state’s embattled Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, or CPRIT. The agency is under investigation for over allegations of improper controls on how its grants are awarded.
The House budget bill is expected to be filed Tuesday. Senate budget writers are expected to unveil their base budget proposal later today.
