April 18, 2011 House Appropriations Committee Advances Several Tax-Related Bills The House Appropriations Committee met briefly over the Monday lunch hour to pass out several bills relating to state fiscal matters that spill over into the tax arena. The Committee Substitute for House Bill 3790 relating to state fiscal matters includes several provisions impacting taxpayers:…

Some Thoughts about the Legislature’s Revenue Options Yesterday we posted a list of revenue options prepared for a subcommittee of Senate Finance, a list made public by Empower Texans—an Austin-based conservative advocacy group. The leak of the document caused some back-stepping in the Senate, indicative of the controversial nature of some of the proposals. Several…

Senate Fiscal Matters Subcommittee List of Fiscal Options Leaked A copy of the Senate’s list of fiscal options for generating additional money for the Senate to add to its budget has been leaked this afternoon and is available on TTARA’s website by clicking here. The list is a mix of fee increases, fund sweeps, property…

Budget Picture Coming Into Focus The House today appears poised to pass their version of the draft budget for the 2012-13 Biennium. The bill balances within available revenues, in combination with two other bills the House passed yesterday that would close the looming 2011 deficit. As it currently stands, the House-budgeted amounts for public education…

Senate Subcommittee on Fiscal Matters Holds Organizational Meeting Yesterday Senate Finance Committee Chairman Steve Ogden appointed a special Subcommittee on Fiscal Matters to be chaired by Senator Robert Duncan. The Subcommittee was charged with finding up to $5 billion in savings and non-tax revenue to balance the budget. Members of the Subcommittee are: Duncan (Chair),…