Tag Archives: budget

Dewhurst and Nelson push Medicaid reform

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I’m reserving judgment on this for now. Lt. Gov David Dewhurst and Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, on Wednesday touted Senate proposals they say would bring down spending on Medicaid, the state’s health program for the poor, by instituting quality-based … Continue reading →

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City pension funds make their case

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This deserves more visibility than it’s gotten. Representatives of Houston’s three employee pension boards told a Houston City Council committee Monday that the sky is not falling and pleaded with council members to be patient in examining the city’s pension … Continue reading →

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Meet the new budget

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Same as the old budget. Republican leaders in both chambers of the Legislature on Monday offered spare first drafts of the state’s next two-year budget that continue $5.4 billion in cuts to public education made last session and freeze funding … Continue reading →

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What they’re saying about transportation

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

So far in all the stories I’ve read about the beginning of the legislative session, education and transportation are two of the biggest items everyone talks about. Here’s a sample from the Chron. Story #1: [Rep. Ed] Thompson said funding … Continue reading →

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Interview with Todd Clark and Chris Gonzales of the firefighters’ pension fund

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have written numerous times about the ongoing battle between Mayor Parker and the Houston Firefighter’s Relief and Retirement Fund, which is to say the firefighters’ pension fund. After I noted a legal victory by the city in its attempt … Continue reading →

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School finance dispatches

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Some bad news for the state in the school finance lawsuit. State District Judge John Dietz directed state attorneys Wednesday to redo a key study that underestimated the funding advantages of higher-wealth school districts — a blow to the state’s … Continue reading →

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School Land Board votes to transfer $300 million to Available School Fund

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib: The School Land Board voted Tuesday to release $300 million into the Available School Fund for public schools. The money will be released in two $150 million installments, one in February and the other on June. The … Continue reading →

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Day One of the Lege

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

What do we know so far? Same old Rick Perry. Gov. Rick Perry called for tax relief and a lean approach to budgeting as he addressed the Senate, even as the state faces a lawsuit from school districts over funding … Continue reading →

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The revenue estimate is in

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

And under normal circumstances it would be very good news. Texas Comptroller Susan Combs, laying out the parameters for state spending on the eve of the legislative session, said Monday that the rebounding Texas economy gives lawmakers $8.8 billion unallocated … Continue reading →

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A look ahead to the 2013 Lege

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib previews the biennial hijinks of the 2013 Texas Legislature. The last time Texas lawmakers convened in Austin, they were absorbed with numbers and boundaries: how to make ends meet with a deflated state budget and draw new district … Continue reading →

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Horse’s head sold separately

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Shorter John Cornyn: “Unless President Obama gives us Republicans everything we want – and we insist that he be the one to come up with the list of things that we want, so we can attack him for it in … Continue reading →

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What they’re saying about education

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has a couple of stories focusing on area legislators and their priorities for 2013. There will be many new faces in the Lege and the Senate in this session, so the more we know about what these folks … Continue reading →

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Finally a focus on water

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is that the 2013 Lege does seem to be serious about water issues. House Speaker Joe Straus recently said Texas’ water needs will be a high priority, while Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who presides over the Senate, … Continue reading →

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Your other one-minute real estate update

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Basically, real estate good in Houston. Inventory of homes for sale has fallen to a level not seen in more than a decade. Builders are trying to keep up with a growing demand from buyers relocating here for jobs. Realtors … Continue reading →

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So how’s public education doing under the Republicans?

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Well, for starters, there’s larger class sizes. Northside’s predicament mirrors that of several other local districts with expanding enrollments. It’s part of the argument hundreds of Texas districts are making in an ongoing school finance lawsuit against the state, blaming … Continue reading →

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Time once again to talk about expanded gambling

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a legislative session coming up, right? That can only mean one thing: A new effort to expand gambling in Texas. Track and gaming interests say voters should be allowed to decide whether to give Texas a shot at the … Continue reading →

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Metro moving forward with advertising

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This has been in the works for a long time. Depending on what Metropolitan Transit Authority officials decide regarding a new revenue plan, your light rail trip could end at the Taco Bell Station, or some similarly named stop. Officials … Continue reading →

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When is a surplus not a surplus?

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

When any extra money you might have is already accounted for, due to unaddressed needs, accounting shenanigans, and shortsighted cuts. Some lawmakers and budget experts expect to have as much as $8 billion to $9 billion more in general revenue … Continue reading →

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City wins access to firefighter pension information

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox, late Friday afternoon. Mayor Annise Parker today announced Judge William Burke of the 189th District Court of Harris County has mandated the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund (HFRRF) Board to provide and disclose information requested by … Continue reading →

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State fails to get injunction against terminating Womens Health Program funds

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, last year the Lege passed a law that forbade Planned Parenthood from participating in the Women’s Health Program on the grounds that PP does abortions even though none of the PP clinics that participate in the Women’s … Continue reading →

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Not just vouchers, corporate-sponsored vouchers

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You can’t make this stuff up. Speaking in a Catholic school classroom in Austin, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Sen. Dan Patrick gave the first details of what they promised would be a wide-ranging set of proposals for public … Continue reading →

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Student RFID case in federal court

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck sorting it all out, Your Honor. Because she has a religious objection to Northside Independent School District’s new student tracking system, Andrea Hernandez and her father testified in federal court Monday, she should not be transferred to another … Continue reading →

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Dude, I’m serious!

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

House Speaker Joe Straus is ready to have a “serious” legislative session. You know, totally unlike the last one. Despite organized efforts to unseat him, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus said Wednesday he is confident his colleagues will re-elect him … Continue reading →

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On school shootings

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. In the national collective grief rising from Friday’s mass shooting in Connecticut, one apparent trust seems to have completely shattered: that an elementary school was sacred and safe ground. Left in the … Continue reading →

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Two minus five is still less than zero

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s nice that Speaker Joe Straus wants to restore public education funding, but let’s be clear about what that means. Texas House Speaker Joe Straus said Friday he’s committed to pumping billions of dollars back into the state’s public schools, … Continue reading →

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TAB yields on testing

Posted on December 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Retreat! Some of the strongest advocates for high-stakes testing, Texas business leaders now want to cut the number of exams students must pass to finish high school, the latest attempt to ease tougher graduation requirements that went into effect last … Continue reading →

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Are vouchers unconstitutional?

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Attorney Kelly Frels makes the case that private school vouchers will not pass constitutional muster in Texas. State Sen. Dan Patrick has proposed that the state of Texas provide vouchers to help parents pay for private school tuition. Vouchers are … Continue reading →

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How the so-called “fiscal cliff” might affect Texas

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There is of course a very simple way to avoid this. If President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans cannot avoid tripping off the edge of the so-called fiscal cliff, then the Texas budget could be more than $1 billion short … Continue reading →

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From the “Babies and other hazards of sex” department

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Donna Howard has more tact than I do. When state lawmakers passed a two-year budget in 2011 that moved $73 million from family planning services to other programs, the goal was largely political: halt the flow of taxpayer dollars … Continue reading →

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Plaintiffs rest their case in school finance lawsuit

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Phase one is over. Hundreds of districts suing the state over its school finance system wrapped up their case Wednesday with testimony that largely blamed the Legislature for creating the current funding crisis that stripped away an unprecedented $5.4 billion … Continue reading →

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I’m glad someone is optimistic about the possibility of Medicaid expansion in Texas

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Because I sure can’t say that I’m optimistic about it happening. State Senator Rodney Ellis, Democrat of Houston, said fiscal conservatives have an incentive to reach an agreement “because the alternative is going to cost us much more economically and … Continue reading →

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A family planning end run?

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is interesting. Texas lawmakers have spent the past two years attacking family planning services in the state, cutting funds for programs that provide women with birth control and wellness exams. Now family planning advocates are fighting back. A coalition … Continue reading →

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Student RFID

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. A Texas high school student is being suspended for refusing to wear a student ID card implanted with a radio-frequency identification chip. Northside Independent School District in San Antonio began issuing the … Continue reading →

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It’s drug testing all the way down

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like the urinalysis industry in this state is going to get a big stimulus package next year, at least if the Republicans get their way. As top state leaders push to drug-test some Texans seeking jobless benefits and financial … Continue reading →

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