Every Texan Budget Conference Committee Recommendations

The state budget is the primary means by which our Legislature defines its priorities. We thank the conference committee on the budget for its hard work so far. Yet we believe more can be done to advance equitable policies for all Texans.

Every Texan’s mission is to strengthen public policy to expand opportunity and equity for Texans of all backgrounds. Our budget advocacy is guided by our long-term People’s Budget project, a series of conversations with communities across Texas about their priorities for the state budget. In our community engagement so far, Texans have overwhelmingly told us they value education, health care, and good jobs and wages. Our recommendations below are a first step toward a People’s Budget, emphasizing equitable investments to help Texas’s public schools, workers, and low-income residents. 

Below is a brief summary of our budget conference recommendations. They are limited to items or funding levels that may be considered in committee, according to House and Senate rules. See our more detailed recommendations here. Suspension of certain rules would allow more transformative changes, including:

  • Across-the-board pay raise for all state workers
  • Medicaid expansion
  • Reduced tax cuts
  • Assistance for renters
  • Striking of ESA funding

Finally, we note that pending federal budget cuts will heavily impact our state budget. We are particularly concerned about cuts affecting Every Texan’s core policy areas of health care, education, and food policy, as well as disaster funds and many other federal programs. We ask you to take these threats seriously when setting funding levels in the state budget and do what is necessary to mitigate the impacts of any federal cuts to protect those services for the most vulnerable residents of our state.

Summary of Recommendations

View our recommendations in full.

Healthcare
  • Retain from House budget:
    • Pay raise for community attendants
    • Summer EBT
    • HHSC language access study
    • Women’s mobile health units
  • Adopt from House budget Article XI:
    • Community Partner Program
    • Additional TIERS increase for “express lane” eligibility (HB 321)
    • Food desert study
Education
  • Retain from House budget:
    • Greater investment in public education, including larger basic allotment
    • $1.3 billion for Texas University Fund (either in budget or HB 500)
    • Greater funding for higher education grant programs (TEXAS, TEOG, etc.)
  • Adopt from House budget Article XI:
    • $6.5 billion taken from OOG/Operation Lone Star for teacher pay raises
    • House rider 78 amendments limiting ESA program
    • Item striking TEA rider 58, which prohibits DEI in higher education
Workforce
  • Adopt from House budget Article XI: 13th check for ERS retirees 
Taxes
  • Retain homestead exemption increase in Senate budget
Other
  • Retain lower House investment in Texas Energy Fund or make available to other TEF programs
  • Adopt from House budget Article XI:
    • $250 million for HB 1359, providing utility assistance to low-income households
    • CPA riders: studies on federal funding cuts and undocumented immigration; tariff impact dashboard
    • Items moving funding from OOG/Operation Lone Star to Texas Utility Relief, nutrition services, job training, and child care

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