Budget

The budget is the subject of countless news articles. It creates intrigue and debate between legislators, triggers rallies and protests from advocates, and leaves many Texans facing the propect of lost pay, lost benefits, and lost jobs. 

The Austin American Stateman has two detailed articles that break down the House and Senate versions of the budget in 50 facts. Below are the facts about the Senate budget. For a list of the House budget details, click here.

1) It spends $176.5 billion in all funds over the next two years, which is about $12 billion more than the House budget.

2) It would reduce current-biennium spending by about $11 billion, or 5.9 percent.

3) It leaves school districts about $4 billion short of the money that the state would owe them under current law.

4) It defers $2 billion in Foundation School Program payments from August 2013 to September 2013, pushing those costs to the next biennium so the 2013 Legislature can pay for them.

5) It spends up to $3 billion from the state’s rainy day fund. That number would be smaller if revenues came in higher than projected by the comptroller.

6) The budget provides for about 235,000 jobs in state government, a decrease of about 5,300.

7) It provides for 54,849 TEXAS Grants by 2013. That’s 32,000 fewer than in 2011, but about 28,000 more than the House budget as it went to the House floor.

8) It reduces the state contribution rate for employees’ retirement from 6.95 percent to 6 percent. But unlike the House plan, it raises the rate back up to 6.5 percent in 2013.

9) It spends $3.4 billion on debt payments, an increase of $631 million, or almost 23 percent, from the previous biennium.

10) It does not pay for enrollment growth at institutions of higher education. Yet enrollment at two- and four-year institutions grew 51 percent between 2000 and 2010.

11) It increases spending on services for crime victims by 4.6 percent.

12) It cuts $12 million in grants given to local law enforcement agencies for the continued training and education of officers.

13) It reduces funding for the Texas State Cemetery by $400,000, or almost 27 percent.

14) It saves $700,000 by replacing the in-house custodial staff at 48 state-owned buildings with contracted employees.

15) It reduces funding for operation of the governor’s office by $4.5 million, or 19 percent.

16) It provides $25 million in grants for disaster funding provided to state and local agencies when the governor finds that the demands on funds regularly appropriated are insufficient to respond to a particular disaster. That’s a reduction of 72 percent.

17) The bill provides $10 million for the Film and Music Marketing program in the governor’s office — a reduction of 85 percent.

18) It does not fund the Texas Enterprise Fund or the Emerging Technology Fund.

19) It reduces state funding for aid to local libraries from $16.2 million to $100,000.

20) It reduces total funding for community health services at the Department of State Health Services by about $150 million, or 4 percent.

21) The budget does not provide funding for caseload or cost growth in Medicaid, which would cost $1.7 billion in general revenue.

22) The budget anticipates federal flexibility in Medicaid that will save $700 million in general revenue.

23) It spends about $3.7 billion more than the House budget — all funds — on health and human services.

24) It reduces funding to regional education service centers by $23 million.

25) It zeroes out the $271 million technology allotment for schools.

26) The bill spends $1.8 million on steroid testing. The testing program is a pet cause for Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. From a May 2010 story from the AP: “Nearly 50,000 tests since February 2008 have found only about 20 confirmed cases of steroid use.”

27) It reduces funding for the Student Success Initiative by $99 million.

28) Overall, discretionary state grant programs for public education would be reduced by $863 million — 64 percent. These programs include teacher incentive pay, grants for science labs, teen-parenting life skills and seat belts on school buses.

29) The budget maintains funding levels for the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

30) It makes a net decrease of at least $87.7 million in student financial aid programs.

31) It reduces general-revenue funding for higher education by 977 million, by 7.5 percent.

32) It reduces funding for the Texas Commission on Fire Protection by 13.6 percent, from $4.5 million to $3.9 million. 33) The number of state parks in operation would decrease from 92 to 86.

34) The amount of nitrogen oxide emissions reduced through the Texas Emission Reduction Plan would decrease from 17,425 tons to 6,794 tons.

35) It zeroes out grants for the development and acquisition of new local parks.

36) It reduces funding for the Low Income Vehicle Repair, Replacement and Retrofit Program by $75 million, or 75 percent.

37) It reduces the state contribution to TRS-Care (retired school employees’ group insurance program) by $120 million, or 23 percent.

38) The state contribution for teacher retirement benefits would decrease from 6.644 percent to 6 percent in 2012 and 6.4 percent in 2013.

39) It increases spending on border security from $111 million to $253 million.

40) It zeroes out the $4.3 million Wine Research and Education Program and the $1 million Feral Hog Abatement Program.

41) It reduces total funding for operations, minor repairs and program support at state parks by 11 percent.

42) The percentage of Texas Department of Transportation construction projects completed in time would decrease from 81 percent in 2011 to 70 percent in 2013.

43) It cuts from $20.1 million to $100,000 a program that provides case management and housing placement and retention services for homeless individuals and families. 

44) It eliminates a $7.4 million program that provides grants to improve public facilities and infrastructure in rural communities.

45) It eliminates a $3.1 million program that helps rural areas use renewable energy to cut energy costs and develop new sources of drinking water through salination.

46) It cuts $30 million — 38 percent — from customized job-training programs administered by the Texas Workforce Commission.

47) It cuts funding for Texas State Technical College by 7.4 percent.

48) It cuts 16 percent in funding for poison control.

49) It reduces funding for the Legislature itself by $31 million, or 8.3 percent.

50) It does not raise taxes.

Source: Austin American Statesman, First Reading Blog: May 2