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January 14, 2021
Title: Texas Budget: How Can We Come Back After COVID-19?
Topic: Texas Budget
Discussed by Dr. Vance Ginn
with Texas Public Policy Foundation (www.TexasPolicy.com)
The Texas Legislature has two jobs for this upcoming Session: re-draw voting boundaries and pass a balanced budget for the next two years.
Dr. Vance Ginn, the Chief Economist with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, explains the ins-and-outs of passing a budget for a state as large as Texas.
Questions/Issues Discussed:
Why must the Texas Legislature pass a balanced budget? What is the fiscal budget calendar for Texas?
What is the first step in setting the Texas Budget? What is the Texas Comptroller’s role in this?
What are some of the sources for revenue?
What happened in early 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the economy?
Did state leaders ask department officials across Texas to reduce spending? If so, by how much? Did the call for spending cuts fall within available funds as the reduced funds were received?
Now that the Texas Comptroller has released his Biennial Revenue Estimate, will pressure be exerted in the Legislature to raise taxes/raise additional funds?
The Texas Public Policy Foundation will be releasing follow-up reports on how our elected officials are spending our money. Click
here to sign up for their free email.
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May 6, 2020
Title: Sales Tax Revenue Down: Time to Tighten the Belt
Topic: Texas Budget
Discussed by The Honorable Talmadge Heflin
with Texas Public Policy Foundation (www.TexasPolicy.com)
From a recent Press Release from the TPPF:
“As sales tax revenues are a primary funding source for the state of Texas,
the need to tighten the state budget becomes even more clear, especially as a
surge in unemployment benefits will be costly.”
Former Texas State Representative Talmadge Heflin served as chairman of the
House Committee on Appropriations in the 78th Legislative Session and navigated
a state budget shortfall without a tax increase. Talmadge is now the Director of
TPPF’s Center for Fiscal Policy.
More can be found
here.
Questions/Issues Discussed:
Have sales tax receipts been significantly less during March 2020 compared to
2019? Could this be a result of the Coronavirus shut down?
Is there a need for an emergency special session? Is there a mechanism already
in place to handle shortfalls?
Talmadge uses the phrase “spin forward”. What does this mean regarding
the budget?
What collateral is required when cities, counties, local school districts buy
bonds?
If the Democrats take the House and Senate in 2020, what will happen to our
taxes in Texas? Do they want a state income tax?
Can all cities in Texas expect to have a significant shortfall in the coming
months?
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August 30, 2016
Title: The Next Texas Budget
Topic: Texas Budget
Discussed by Kevin Roberts
with Roberts for TX 126 www.RobertsTX126.com
Part 1 of 3
No one likes the “B” word – Budget. It’s hard enough
for a family to follow a budget these days, let alone a state as large as Texas.
We’ve been doing a fabulous job for years, but can we continue?
Kevin Roberts, Republican Candidate for Texas House District 126, joins us today
discussing the next Texas Budget and why it is so important to elect honest
officials to oversee it.
Questions/Issues Discussed:
The Texas budget is approved on a biennial basis. Listen in as Kevin Roberts
discusses a recent blog post on his website (found above) concerning this very
issue entitled: “Did
You Know”.
NOTE: Kevin reveals some very interesting pieces of information
which many may not be familiar. How many bills are required to be passed each
session? What must the budget include? How does the process work? Who decides
how much money there is to spend?
State agencies are preparing now for the next Legislative Session which begins
in January 2017. Have they been asked to prepare budgets below their current
funding levels? In addition, which agencies are not required to submit a
decreased budget request?
Kevin Roberts concludes the interview with an explanation of his perspective of
the Texas budget, how he will handle the budget if elected, and why it is so
important for every citizen to vote in the upcoming election.
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August 10, 2016
Title: The Next Texas Budget
Topic: Texas Budget
Discussed by Kevin Roberts
with Roberts for TX 126 www.RobertsTX126.com
No one likes the “B” word – Budget. It’s hard enough
for a family to follow a budget these days, let alone a state as large as Texas.
We’ve been doing a fabulous job for years, but can we continue?
Kevin Roberts, Republican Candidate for Texas House District 126, joins us today
discussing the next Texas Budget and why it is so important to elect honest
officials to oversee it.
Questions/Issues Discussed:
The Texas budget is approved on a biennial basis. Listen in as Kevin Roberts
discusses a recent blog post on his website (found above) concerning this very
issue entitled: “Did
You Know”.
NOTE: Kevin reveals some very interesting pieces of information
which many may not be familiar. How many bills are required to be passed each
session? What must the budget include? How does the process work? Who decides
how much money there is to spend?
State agencies are preparing now for the next Legislative Session which begins
in January 2017. Have they been asked to prepare budgets below their current
funding levels? In addition, which agencies are not required to submit a
decreased budget request?
Kevin Roberts concludes the interview with an explanation of his perspective of
the Texas budget, how he will handle the budget if elected, and why it is so
important for every citizen to vote in the upcoming election.
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June 18, 2015
Title: The Bills Must get Paid
Topic: Texas Budget
Discussed by Glenn Hegar
with Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts www.GlennHegar.com
Overseeing the
collection of Taxes and making sure the bills get paid is a huge task.
But someone has to do it – and do it right. The Texas Constitution mandates “no
deficit spending”. Someone has to be the Gate Keeper at the beginning of
the process, during the process, and after the process. The person charged with
this task is Glenn Hegar.
Glenn believes that managing the budget of an entire state must be handled the
same way each household should manage their own budget: don’t spend more than
you bring in. The Comptroller’s office is involved in almost every piece of
legislation. So, obviously, managing an entire state’s budget is more difficult
than a single household, but it can be done! He has proved that! For example, in
regards to education, he says, “Sometimes you have to compare apples and
apples. It’s not how much money you put into the classroom, but what is the
quality of education that comes out. That’s the real metric, not just dollars
spent.”
Listen in as Glenn Hegar explains the budget process, the different taxes which
must be assessed, and the people who help out. One of the biggest hurdles to
tackle is being “fair” – it’s just not possible to give everyone everything they
want.
FACT: Texas has the 12th largest economy in the world! There
are 500 people who move to Texas every day. Now, that’s a lot of people!
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January 20, 2015
Title: New Texas Spending Cap Announced
Topic: Texas Budget
Discussed by Glenn Hegar
with Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts www.GlennHegar.com
Show me the money! Texas has one of the best economies in the nation, if not
the world. We certainly know how to make a budget and stick to it.
This year, like every year, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts has
presented the spending cap to the lawmakers, who are now given the task of
distributing this money to various entities and projects for the next two years.
Glenn Hegar is “the man”. Listen in as Glenn explains his responsibilities, the
treasury, and how taxes factor in to the mix.
There is already $113 Billion in the Texas general revenue fund. Add that with
the nearly $108 Billion from the federal government and Texas is looking at over
$220 BILLION dollars to allocate to different agencies and committees over the
next two years (beginning with the fiscal year in September). How does this
money get dispersed?
Also discussed in this segment with Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is the falling
oil prices and how this might affect the budget. For more on the budget and the
responsibilities of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts click [here].
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