Texas Tribune: After 18-Hour Debate, House Gives Early Approval to Budget
After 18 hours of debate that veered from polite disagreements to an angry outburst, the Texas House tentatively passed a $210 billion two-year budget early Wednesday morning with a 141 to 5 vote.
With more than 350 proposed amendments before them, members of the House began at noon Tuesday and ended at nearly 6 a.m. Wednesday. After both the House and the Senate have passed a budget, a conference committee made up of members of both chambers will hash out a compromise version. The Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote out its budget to the full Senate next week.
"This is just another step in the process,” said House Appropriations Chairman John Otto, R-Dayton, and the chamber's lead budget writer. “It is not the final product.”
The 5 "no" votes on the budget were Republican state Reps. Matt Rinaldi, Matt Schaefer, David Simpson, Tony Tinderholt and Molly White.
Democrats concentrated their efforts on directing more funding toward public education, while Tea Party Republicans tried to defund economic incentive fund programs. Yet three areas expected to draw hot debate — abortion, vouchers and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants — were largely sidestepped as members pulled down their amendments.
