Next week, our schools will open to serve 80,000 more students than last year, bringing the total number of children in Texas’ public schools to nearly 5 million. Public school
Devastating budget cuts to family planning in 2011 caused widespread collateral damage, leaving 147,000 Texas women without services and the women’s health safety net in tatters. This session, the Legislature
Texas’ annual sales tax holiday is this weekend – August 9-11. Retailers will not collect state or local sales tax on most clothing, footwear, and school supplies priced under $100.
Millions of Texans rely on Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) for their health care coverage. Unfortunately, the 2014-15 state budget fails to undo the deepest cuts made to
As the third called legislative session begins, legislators are still finalizing the highway funding part of the Texas state budget for 2014 and 2015–the two-year budget period that begins September
As predicted, this session’s debates around school choice were used as a distraction from discussing real solutions to the state’s education challenges. Fortunately, all the different voucher proposals, which would
This session, the Legislature give higher priority to tax giveaways than to fully restoring public services to their pre-recession levels. Three major tax giveaways, plus renewal and expansion of the
In the state budget deal for 2014-15 that’s still a few pieces short of being finalized by the 83rd Legislature, public education would see a 7 percent biennial increase, from $52
With just a few days left in the 2013 legislative regular session, details and summary information on the 2013 and 2014-15 state budget deals are finally starting to emerge. The conference
The Senate this week will consider tax giveaways that would reduce the amount available to support public services in the next state budget by $1 billion. Supporters claim these tax