Budget Progressing; Taxes Still a Question Mark Budget writers are moving closer to wrapping up their committee work and while the budget ball will be moved a bit further down the field, the end zone is still a long ways off. By tradition, this year the budget will be a Senate bill. The Senate Finance…

House Sets Debate on Supplemental Appropriations Bill The 2012-13 Budget passed by legislators last session appropriated substantially less for Medicaid than what forecasters anticipated would be required. While Medicaid is a state-managed program that receives a substantial amount of federal funds, in truth, the state has little latitude over funding decisions. Most of the cost…

February 12, 2013 TTARA has been invited to a meeting at the Comptroller’s Office this Friday, February 15, to discuss the Comptroller’s previously proposed revisions to rule 3.588 concerning margin: cost of goods sold (a copy of the proposal is available on TTARA’s website). The agency now believes their initial proposal requires modification, and has…

School Finance System Unconstitutional on Equity, Adequacy, and State Property Tax Travis County District Judge John Dietz issued a verbal ruling from the bench this afternoon declaring the school finance system unconstitutional. Judge Dietz stated that the system is inequitable, inadequate, and constitutes a de facto state property tax. He declined to rule on claims…

February 1, 2013 Revenues, the Budget, and Tax Relief Comptroller Combs may have surprised lawmakers with a somewhat higher revenue estimate than many anticipated. The House and Senate had been working on slightly different budget packages, but both tallied well below the Comptroller’s estimate of available revenues—roughly $5.5 billion, or about 6 percent of discretionary…