3 things to know about the Senate and House budget proposals

  1. The House budget would allocate $42.1 billion to public schools and advocate for $1.5 billion more for public education through school finance reform. The Senate’s proposal also allocates $42 billion to public schools but would cut the state’s overall portion by $1.8 billion.

  2. The House reduces the current amount allocated to border security—$800 million—to a proposed $653.1 million. The Senate matches the current expenditure with another budget line of $800 million.

  3. The House will take money from the state’s Economic Stabilization Fund, also known as the Rainy Day Fund, to shore up the budget. The House’s proposal would take $2.5 billion from the RDF. The Senate’s budget draft does not touch it, which has more than $10 billion currently.

News and Notes from the Capitol

Budget update

The Texas House endorsed its version of the state budget April 7. The House vote included using $2.5 billion from the state’s savings account, commonly known as the Rainy Day Fund. On March 28, the state Senate approved its own budget plan. Representatives from both chambers are meeting to work out the differences in the plans. On May 3, the House approved legislation that would overhaul the way the state stows away money for tough economic times.

Public education

On May 3, the House approved a major overhaul of a rating system that would give schools and districts grades between A and F. Also on May 3, the House approved a bill that would pare back the number of required standardized tests. On April 19, the House passed House Bill 21, its leading school finance bill, which would inject an extra $1.6 billion into the state public education system. The Senate Education Committee on April 18 discussed a bill that would radically simplify the state’s school finance formula.

‘Sanctuary’ jurisdictions

On May 7, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 4, which would ban “sanctuary” jurisdictions in Texas and allow police to inquire about the immigration status of people they lawfully detain.

Vehicle safety inspections

The Texas Senate on May 4 gave its blessing to a bill that would eliminate the state’s vehicle safety inspection requirement for most vehicles. It would still apply for commercial vehicles.

‘One-punch’ voting

House Bill 25, which the Texas House approved May 5, would eliminate “one-punch” voting, forcing voters to make an individual decision on every ballot item, starting with the 2020 election. The measure must still be considered by the Senate.

Weather-related insurance

The Texas House on May 5 approved a bill that would discourage home and business owners from seeking big payouts from insurance companies after hailstorms, floods and hurricanes.

Source: Texas Tribune