Texas Lawmakers Begin 140 Day Session to Solve State Issues
By: KFDX News
Updated: January 9, 2013
Texas lawmakers now have 140 days to figure out how to pay for public schools after slashing 5.4 billion dollars from classrooms in 2011, whether unemployment recipients should be drug-tested and perhaps confront a water crisis under the strain of a rapidly growing population.
Governor Rick Perry told the Texas Senate yesterday the state's economy and rosier state revenue picture should allow lawmakers to cut taxes.
"It's not a chance to spend freely, but an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to the very policies that have made Texas economically strong," said Perry.
His comments came a day after comptroller Susan Combs said Texas would have 96.2 billion dollars in estimated new revenue. That was a sharp contrast from a far weaker 2011 prediction, when a sluggish economy exacerbated a 27 billion dollar shortfall that triggered deep spending cuts.
