AUSTIN – The Texas House and Senate released their proposed budgets for 2026 and 2027, and lawmakers told CBS News Texas they liked how similar the two chambers’ spending plans are.
The U.S. and Texas flags fly over the Texas Capitol on Jan. 10, 2023.
Eric Gay / AP
“It’s encouraging to have this start and see how close we really are together on the one piece of legislation that we have to pass,” said state Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-N. Richland Hills.
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State Rep. Mihaela Plesa, D-Dallas, who’s also the vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, agreed.
“It’s a good start. The intent is very good that the House and the Senate are starting to work together,” Plesa said.
There’s new money proposed for public schools, teacher pay raises, and property tax relief. There’s also a plan to use taxpayer dollars so some students can attend private schools.
While there’s a lot of disagreement over that, there are many areas where lawmakers are in sync.
“I’m happy to see that there’s money in there for public education,” Plesa said. “I’m happy to see that there’s money in there for cybersecurity and for health care expansion.”
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Each chamber has proposed about $5 billion in new money for public schools. That includes an extra $4,000 for all public school teachers and an additional $6,000 for rural educators.
There’s also about $6.5 billion in additional money for property tax relief on top of what was passed two years ago. That may include what the Senate has proposed, which is an increase in the homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 for most homeowners. For seniors, the exemption would rise from $110,000 to $150,000.
Hancock praised this proposal.
“I think it’s a great start and what we’ve got to find is the fairest and most equitable way to return people’s money to them,” Hancock said.
But there’s disagreement over the $1 billion proposed in each chamber’s budget for taxpayer-funded education savings accounts so students can attend private school.
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Plesa said she is unhappy about this plan and promised to fight it.
“Well, it’s going to be a billion-dollar fight. So, we need to make sure that when we’re talking about taxpayer money, that’s your money. That’s our constituents’ money that has accountability to it, that has some oversight to it,” Plesa said.
Hancock, however, said he is pleased to see the amount of money proposed at this stage.
“I’m glad to see it at the $1 billion mark because I had heard numbers around $500 million, $700 million. The governor and I spoke a couple of weeks ago, and my concern that I expressed to him is that you know we’ve fought so hard for school choice. I just want to make sure that it’s robust enough,” Hancock said.
This disagreement over school choice or vouchers will likely be the biggest battle this legislative session. The Senate will pass it, just like last session, and in the House, Gov. Abbott has said he now has the votes to get it passed. Both chambers have each proposed spending $6.5 billion on border security to keep current operations going as the state waits to see how the Trump administration ramps up its efforts to secure the border.
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Jack Fink covers politics for KTVT-TV CBS 11 and has been with the station since September 2003.
In a first-of-its-kind effort, the Texas legislature has passed a bill to require warning labels on foods such as Mountain Dew and white bread that contain certain artificial additives and dyes. The measure, now awaiting action by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, would require a warning label prominently displayed on foods containing any of 44 artificial […]
MINNESOTA — The first rule of Designated Hitter Club? Learn to perform in Designated Hitter Club.
Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger certainly has. He started at designated hitter Tuesday vs. the Minnesota Twins at Target Field and has played the position in four of the club’s last eight games.
“He just seems comfortable DHing,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “Some guys don’t want to DH, but he’s done a good job at it so we’re going to keep him there.”
Bochy said that Burger’s defense has been too good at first base to keep him at designated hitter long term and acknowledged that he will return to the field soon. But, while the club rotates players through the designated hitter position in the wake of Joc Pederson’s broken hand, Burger functions as a plus option.
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The 29-year-old has a career .258/.293/.559 slash line in 68 games at designated hitter. His .852 OPS is the highest he’s posted at any position that he’s started double-digit times and he entered play Tuesday with a 6 for 12 line and two home runs at designated hitter this season.
The Rangers have gotten a league-worst .521 OPS out of the designated hitter position this year. Pederson, who had a .507 OPS before he fractured his wrist, did drag that number down significantly. Bochy believes that the players who succeed in the role are the ones that can become accustomed to “all the free time” in between innings.
“Then once you do, you like it,” Bochy said with a smile. “Sign me up for that in the next life, DHing, that’d be the perfect job.”
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A largely peaceful march in downtown Austin on Monday condemning the uptick in immigrant detentions across the country dispersed when law enforcement fired tear gas into a portion of the crowd that refused to leave.
The protest, organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s Austin branch, began outside state Capitol grounds at around 7 p.m. as several hundred protesters condemned raids conducted in recent weeks by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement. The group guided the mile-long march and chants through downtown toward the J. J. “Jake” Pickle Federal Building before circling back to the Capitol.
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While the organizers announced the end of their gathering just after 8 p.m., more than a hundred protesters continued marching as police told them to leave the streets. Some rerouted back to the federal building but were blocked from it by law enforcement, who eventually fired tear gas canisters into the crowd.
Speakers during the protest and those who marched in downtown Austin said ICE and law enforcement were operating without due process for people they have detained in raids. Some, including Valerie Cruz, an Austin resident and first generation American, came to share their solidarity with undocumented immigrants they say have been villainized by law enforcement.
“I had the privilege of my family being able to come here ‘the right way,’ you know what they say, right? And not everybody has that privilege, not everyone has that luxury, and that’s why I’m here,” Cruz said.
A protest in Dallas also occurred on Monday evening, following two others on Sunday in San Antonio and Houston. All four were inspired by protests against ICE in Los Angeles over the weekend, which started after a series of ICE immigration sweeps and arrests sparked outcry from locals, according to CalMatters.
Protesters bang their fists and write messages on the doors at the entrance of the J.J. “Jake” Pickle Federal Building during a protest against ICE in Austin on Monday.
Credit:
Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune
State and federal authorities have escalated their presence in Los Angeles as protests have continued. The Pentagon on Monday deployed 700 Marines to Los Angeles hours before protesters gathered in Austin. Those Marines are in addition to the 2,000 National Guard troops sent by the Trump administration to Los Angeles.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the deployment of law enforcement into Los Angeles an “unmistakable step toward authoritarianism” in a news release on Monday. Newsom is now suing the administration for the guard’s deployment.
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Austin Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety officers gathered and at times surrounded the protesters as they moved through downtown. At one point, a DPS officer fell off their motorcycle while attempting to corral protesters, and shortly afterward, another officer shot pepper spray at a protester who was not near the fallen motorcycle. That protester, who did not wish to be named, was incapacitated after being sprayed in their face.
According to one eyewitness, at least two people were detained, but APD and DPS did not immediately respond to requests for confirmation. It was also unclear whether anyone was injured by the tear gas.
A Department of Public Safety officer sprays a chemical deterrent at a protester during a demonstration against ICE in downtown Austin on Monday. The spray was used after a DPS officer lost control of their bike in the crowd.
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Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune
Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O’Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer.
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