Texas Legislature Ends Slo-Mo Session With $182 Billion Budget

DALLAS - Moving in slow-motion to today's conclusion of the 2009 session, the Texas Legislature left dozens of bills behind en route to passage of a $182 billion budget for the next two years.

With Democrats in the House using parliamentary maneuvers to slow passage of routine bills, Republican leaders clung to a divisive Voter ID law that was the target of the stalling tactic.

One major piece of legislation that was waiting for a vote was Republican state Sen. John Carona's local option transportation tax that would allow counties to raise fuel taxes for bond-financed projects. Carona, who wrote the bill to get around political resistance to a statewide fuel tax increase, was fighting down to the wire for final passage.

The local option tax was one part of the bill designed to revamp the Texas Department of Transportation and its supervisory board, the Texas Transportation Commission.

Carona, who represents Dallas, won passage of another bill, SB 293, which rewrites bond provisions for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority. Under previous law, DART operations represented a first lien on revenues, while bond debt ranked as junior or subordinate. Under the new provision, DART will be able to pledge all its sales tax and fare-box revenues to bond debt to expand its system.

Another bill that would provide $6 billion of bond authority for TxDOT was stuck behind the Voter ID logjam as of Friday afternoon, as was Senate Joint Resolution 50, authorizing up to $6 billion of bonds for the Texas Water Development Board.

In another controversial issue, the Senate rejected a second term for Don McLeroy as chairman of the State Board of Education, with some calling his tenure as chairman dysfunctional and divisive. McLeroy, a conservative Christian, has sought to inject his religious views into state curriculum, critics said.

"Education is far too important to be little more than a front in an ideological, political, and cultural battle," said Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin. Senate Finance Committee chairman Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, said McLeroy had been slurred.

The budget, as passed by the Senate, relies heavily on federal stimulus funding to overcome a $12 billion budget gap that lawmakers expect to resurface in 2011.

Ogden, who co-authored the Senate version, said a 7% increase in higher education spending would expand financial aid and increase funding for state colleges and medical centers.

The budget, expected to be approved by Gov. Rick Perry, also would confer one-time $800 bonuses for most state employees and provide 5% more money for public schools.

Ogden said that the next Legislature will face soaring public school enrollments amid falling property values that will slow revenues.

Texas has no personal income tax.

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