06.02.09
Big three proud of session, Coleman offers a response
As I wrap this up, let me remind everyone of a few things.
First, Texans woke up this morning with a balanced budget, increased funding for education, and a $9 billion Rainy Day fund that remains untouched. That is not the norm across the country.
Second, we still one of the strongest economies in the nation thanks to policies we have implemented over the past several years. Texas still leads the nation in exports, job creation and Fortune 500 companies and has been the No. 1 relocation destination in the U.S. for the past four years.
Our fiscally-conservative approaches have made Texas strong, and the work done by the legislature in this session will keep those principles in place, positively affecting the lives of everyday Texans.
That is the real story of this session. Now it’s time to keep moving Texas forward.
- Other key legislation passed by the Texas Senate includes:
- SB 3–Reforms public school accountability system
- SB 9–Establishes framework to create more flagship universities in Texas
- SB 11–Cracks down on gang-related crime
- SB 19–Small business tax cut
- SB 1443–Limits tuition increases at four-year public universities
Straus [.pdf]:
- The list of legislative accomplishments touted by the Speaker included:
- Adopted the 2010-2011 biennial budget which reduces general revenue spending by 1.9 percent.
- Unanimous passage of new education reforms that focus on student growth and achievement to rate schools.
- A $1.9 billion dollar increase in public education money.
- A $1.2 billion dollar increase in higher education funding.
- Seed money to lay the groundwork for additional Tier One Texas universities.
- Added $250 million in financial aid to make college affordable for 35,000 more students.
- Reformed the Top Ten Percent rule to give the University of Texas more flexibility.
- Tax cut which will benefit approximately 40,000 Texas small businesses.
- Protected $9.1 billion dollars in the state’s Rainy Day Fund.
Democratic state Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston) has a response [.pdf] to, not only what was accomplished, but also to the missed opportunities:
- CHIP
- Unemployment insurance
- Tuition relief
- Eliminating the Trans Texas Corridor
- Insurance reform (TDI Sunset)
- Utility rates
- Medicaid reform
The big three are going to try and spin this as good even though it was probably a hair shy of a disaster. But they’ve got reelection and elections campaigns coming up so they have to try and make it sound like were able to lead on some issues. There’s a long way to go, from the filing deadline, through the primaries, to see who survives the general election. Then we can whether the balance of power shifts one way or another in the house, start speculating about who will hold key offices and positions, and see who will control what as we head into a super-partisan redistricting session.