Goal: To Pass a State Budget
- For
the 2016-17 biennium, the legislature approved an all-funds budget of more
than $205 billion — nearly 75 percent of which is spent on Public and
Higher Education (Article 3) and Health and Human Services (Article 2).
- Medicaid
is the largest single budget item at $60 billion all funds (will need an
emergency appropriation of nearly $2 billion for the current budget cycle
to address caseload growth).
- State
leaders have asked agencies to prepare 2018-19 budget with a 4-percent
reduction.
- Texas
may have an unspent balance of $4.1 billion in general revenue; also, $9.7
billion in the Rainy Day Fund, but it is not expected to be spent.
- Priorities
for this session include: Child Protective Services, behavioral health
funding, women’s health funding, appropriate Medicaid funding, Teacher
Retirement System soundness, public school funding, property taxes, and
transportation. And there will be a serious discussion about Medicaid
block grants.
