CHRIS TOMLINSON

13 - 12:49am

Negotiators agree on plan to restore some school funding, pay for water plan

AUSTIN — A deal on a Texas budget is finally done. Now the Legislature must withstand one final and furious week without sinking a compromise that restores nearly $4 billion to public schools and puts more water in the pipeline amid a historic drought. Gov. Rick Perry must also like this bargain, or lawmakers will dig in for a long summer.

Texas budget leaders remain hopeful of deal 05/16/13 - 12:18am

AUSTIN — House and Senate negotiators remained optimistic Wednesday they would finalize a new Texas budget by midnight amid last-minute uncertainty over how much money would be restored to public schools socked by historic spending cuts two years ago. Details on daylong talks were kept tightly guarded. But when asked whether the deal still called for reversing $3.2 billion of the massive cuts to public schools in 2011, the House budget chief seemed to suggest that number may not be firm.

House, Senate face impasse over budget 05/13/13 - 12:02am

AUSTIN — Republicans control both chambers of the Texas Legislature, but that hasn’t kept them from reaching an impasse over the state budget. Lawmakers have plenty of cash to spend after years of slashing spending, but Republicans appear afraid to write the checks, lest their conservative values come into question. Democrats have been fighting to make sure their priorities, such as public schools, don’t suffer as Gov. Rick Perry pushes for $1.8 billion in tax cuts.

House, Senate face impasse over budget 05/12/13 - 9:19am

AUSTIN (AP) — Republicans control both chambers of the Texas Legislature, but that hasn’t kept them from reaching an impasse over the state budget. Lawmakers have plenty of cash to spend after years of slashing spending, but Republicans appear afraid to write the checks, lest their conservative values come into question. Democrats have been fighting to make sure their priorities, such as public schools, don’t suffer as Gov. Rick Perry pushes for $1.8 billion in tax cuts.

Bill would ban working with feds on new gun laws 05/07/13 - 7:14am

The Texas House gave final approval on Monday to a slew of gun laws designed to protect 2nd Amendment rights

AUSTIN — The Texas House gave final approval on Monday to a slew of gun laws designed to protect 2nd Amendment rights, and gave provisional passage to one that would ban state and local police from working with federal authorities on new gun control regulations. The most contentious measure would allow Texas college students to carry firearms on campus. The bill would allow students who are 21 or older and have a concealed weapons permit to bring their handguns to class unless a university chooses to forbid what has become known as “campus carry.”

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Texas House shifts focus to tax breaks 05/06/13 - 12:30am

AUSTIN — The Texas House will begin slowly and selectively whittling down the state business tax this week, as Republicans work to make good on a promise to cut taxes. The House got warmed up on Friday, passing House Bill 3390, which allows school districts and counties to continue to grant property tax breaks to attract local investment. In the coming week, the House will consider at least $410 million in credits and exemptions to the state franchise tax, one of the most maligned sources of state revenue.

Political factions fight over Texas Rainy Day Fund 05/01/13 - 12:21am

AUSTIN — Rep. Allan Ritter has spent years trying to find the money to build the water pipelines, reservoirs and conservation systems Texas’ rapidly growing population needs, and this was supposed to be the year it finally happened. Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Speaker Joe Straus and the state’s business community all threw their support behind Ritter’s plan to take $2 billion from the Rainy Day Fund and leverage it to raise $27 billion over the next 50 years. But their support wasn’t enough.

How much is enough for a Rainy Day Fund? 04/29/13 - 12:09am

AUSTIN — So exactly how much is enough in the Texas Rainy Day Fund? Lawmakers will decide whether $6.1 billion is sufficient, or if the state needs $7 billion in reserves. Gov. Rick Perry says it should never be used for routine spending and he wants to keep $7 billion in case of a hurricane or some other major disaster.

Medicaid problems hinge on doctor, nurse pay 04/28/13 - 12:44am

AUSTIN — The first question many doctors ask when new patients call for appointments is how they intend to pay. If the answer is Medicaid, the doctor can expect to lose money. The Texas Legislature has been balancing the state’s budget by intentionally paying doctors 40 to 75 percent less for Medicaid patients than what private insurers pay for the same treatment. Doctors generally plan to do some charity work, but more and more physicians are reaching their limit, potentially leaving Texas’ most vulnerable in a bind.

Medicaid problems hinge of doctor, nurse pay 04/27/13 - 11:15am

AUSTIN (AP) — The first question many doctors ask when new patients call for appointments is how they intend to pay. If the answer is Medicaid, the doctor can expect to lose money. The Texas Legislature has been balancing the state’s budget by intentionally paying doctors 40 to 75 percent less for Medicaid patients than what private insurers pay for the same treatment. Doctors generally plan to do some charity work, but more and more physicians are reaching their limit, potentially leaving Texas’ most vulnerable in a bind.

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