Bill

SB 1

87(R) - 2021
Senate Finance
House Appropriations
Senate Finance
House Appropriations
Appropriations
Finance

Contact the Author

Jane Nelson

Phone:

512-463-0112

Capitol Office:

1E.5

Email:

Vote Recommendation

Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral

Author(s)

Jane Nelson

Sponsor(s)

Greg Bonnen

Bill Caption

General Appropriations Bill.

Bill Analysis

SB 1 would appropriate approximately $240.8 billion for the upcoming 2022-2023 biennium. 

Vote Recommendation Notes

The House committee substitute to SB 1 proposes an all-funds budget of $240.8 billion for the 2022-23 biennium. This would be an increase of approximately 2.4% over the previous biennium.

The population of Texas continues to grow, as does inflation, so it makes sense that there will necessarily be an increase in total dollars appropriated relative to the previous biennium. In order to check the rate of growth and keep spending from becoming fiscally irresponsible and overly-burdensome for Texas taxpayers, the budget should be pegged to population growth plus inflation.

CSSB 1, as it currently stands taking into consideration its continued tax relief from last session, represents an overall footprint of government that is smaller than the benchmark spending increase threshold of population growth plus inflation. This is encouraging for anyone who is concerned about public spending and desires to maintain a fiscally responsible state budget.

While we are optimistic about the budget as currently proposed, we do have some concern that the massive amount of federal funding coming into the state will skew the numbers in subsequent budget cycles allowing for massive spending increases in the future. We urge legislators to take this into consideration before passing a final budget and to reject as much federal funding as possible.

At this time we remain neutral on the budget and will offer a position on the final version of the bill that comes out of conference committee later this session. 

Pre-filed Amendments:

While we haven't taken a stance on every amendment, the following is our positions on amendments to support or oppose:

E870031, Bernal – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government principle by expanding the Robin Hood Program.

E870033, Bernal – Texas Action supports this amendment because it would empower the limited government principle by increasing the transparency of a state agency spending money. 

E870214, Biedermann – Texas Action supports this amendment because it would empower the limited government principle by requiring state agencies to come up with cost-cutting plans.

E870091, Bowers  – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the individual liberty and limited government principle by funding a gender wage report.

E870156, Cain – Texas Action supports this amendment because it would empower the limited government and free market principles by prohibiting the use of government funding to support a website or periodical supported by donations, memberships and sale of advertising space.

E870159, Cain – Texas Action supports this amendment because it would empower the limited government and individual liberty principle by withholding funds from counties whose election administrators have been judged by a court to have violated a provision of the Election Code.

E870163, Cain  – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government principle by prohibiting the use of funding to employ or contract with a lobbyist or lobbying firm.

E870174, Cain – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government principle by prohibiting the use of funds to provide inmates with elective surgeries.

E870211, Cain – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government and individual liberty principles by making entities that threatened adverse action in response to election integrity legislation or executive action in 2020-2022 ineligible for any funding.

E870037, Campos – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and individual liberty principles by funding a racial study of Covid-19 testing and vaccine distribution.

E870125, Cason – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government and individual liberty principles by prohibiting the use of any funding to teach critical race theory.

E870057, Coleman – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and individual liberty principles by funding a racial study of health.

E870060, Coleman – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and free market principles by expanding Medicaid.

E870063, Coleman – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and free market principles by expanding Medicaid.

E870105, Coleman – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and free market principles by expanding Medicaid.

E870113, Coleman – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and free market principles by expanding Medicaid.

E870182, Coleman – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and free market principles by expanding Medicaid.

E870173, Davis – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and individual liberty principles by funding racial diversity scholarships.

E870180, Davis – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government, free market and individual liberty principles by requiring state agencies to develop plans to increase contracts with business along racial and gendered lines.

E870192, Davis – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government, free market and individual liberty principles by requiring state agencies to develop plans to increase contracts with business along racial and gendered lines.

E870103, Dean – Texas Action supports this amendment because it protects limited government and free market principles by not expanding Medicaid.

E870040, Frank – Texas Action supports this amendment because it protects limited government and free market principles by not expanding Medicaid.

E870123, Jessica Gonzalez – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government principle by duplicating work already done by the federal government.

E870217, Jessica Gonzalez – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and individual liberty principles by requiring the AG to submit quarterly racial reports of people investigated for voter fraud. The racial makeup of people committing voter fraud is irrelevant and this would be a waste of time and resources.

E870249, Guerra – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and free market principles by expanding Medicaid.

E870219, Hefner – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government and individual liberty principles by making entities that threatened adverse action in response to any legislation or executive action in 2020-2022 ineligible for any funding.

E870108, Herrero – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the individual liberty principle by prohibiting the use of funds to pay for school voucher programs.

E870168, Herrero  – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the individual liberty principle by prohibiting the use of funds to pay for school voucher programs.

E870095, Howard – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and free market principles by expanding Medicaid.

E870200, Martinez – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government principle by shifting funding away from border security to aid for migrant children.

E870088, Meza – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the individual liberty principle by prohibiting the use of funds to pay for school voucher programs.

E870085, Middleton – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses individual liberty and limited government principles by prohibiting the use of funding to enforce mask mandates on ferries operated by the Department of Transportation.

E870089, Middleton – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses limited government and individual liberty principles by making business entities that threatened adverse action in response to any legislation or executive action in 2020-2022 ineligible for any funding.

E870100, Middleton – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government principle by prohibiting the use of funding to employ or contract with a lobbyist or lobbying firm.

E870144, Minjarez – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and individual liberty principles by funding a racial study on the effects of redistricting.

E870149, Minjarez – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and individual liberty principles by funding a racial study on a state agency’s use of federal money.

E870201, Morales Shaw – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and individual liberty principles by funding a racial study on internet access and the distribution of federal grant money to promote internet access.

E870228, Oliverson – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government principle by prohibiting the use of funds for gender modification treatment of an inmate.

E870196, Rogers – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government and individual liberty principles by making business entities that threatened adverse action in response to any legislation or executive action in 2020-2022 ineligible for any funding.

E870238, Rosenthal – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and individual liberty principles by setting aside funding to pay for a mail-in voting awareness campaign.

E870135, Slaton – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government principle because it prohibits the use of education funding to affirm a child’s perception that their gender doesn’t match their biological sex.

E870137, Slaton – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government principle by prohibiting the use of funding to provide Covid-19 relief to illegal aliens.

E870142, Slaton – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government principle by preventing the governor from use funding to issue or enforce an executive action or proclamation closing businesses because of a declared disaster.

E870143, Slaton – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government principle by prohibiting the use of funding to modify or remove statues or monuments of historical significance.

E870175, Slaton  – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the property rights principle by moving money from various accounts to bolster the property tax relief fund.

E870241, Senfronia Thompson – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and individual liberty principles by giving money to the Center for Race and Justice at Prairie View A&M University. 

E870062, Tinderholt – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government principle by prohibiting Trusteed Programs Within the Office of the Governor to pay for grants for non-citizens.

E870072, Tinderholt – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government principle by withholding all funding if the Governor uses large-scale declared disaster orders and doesn’t seek legislative approval for renewal of the orders.

E870070, Toth – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government and individual liberty principles by prohibiting the use of any funding to teach critical race theory.

E870073, Toth – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government and individual liberty principles by prohibiting the use of any funding to teach critical race theory.

E870074, Toth – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government and individual liberty principles by prohibiting the use of any funding to teach critical race theory.

E870081, Toth  – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government and individual liberty principles by prohibiting the use of any funding to teach critical race theory.

E870203, Toth – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government and individual liberty principles by making business entities that threatened adverse action in response to any firearm legislation or executive action in 2020-2022 ineligible for any funding.

E870225, Toth – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government and individual liberty principles by prohibiting the use of any funding to teach critical race theory.

E870236, Toth – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government and individual liberty principles by prohibiting the use of any funding to promote the 1619 Project.

E870251, Chris Turner – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and individual liberty principles by prohibiting the use of funds to pay for or support federal election lawsuits.

E870034, VanDeaver – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the individual liberty principle by prohibiting the use of funds to pay for school voucher programs.

E870246, Vaust – Texas Action supports this amendment because it espouses the limited government and individual liberty principles by prohibiting the use of any funding to promote the 1619 Project.

870228, Rose – Texas Action opposes this amendment because it violates the limited government and individual liberty principles by preventing Texas election law changes, including district boundary changes, from being enacted until they have received federal confirmation that the law doesn’t violate the Voting Rights Act or the US Constitution.


Contact the Author

Jane Nelson

Phone:

512-463-0112

Capitol Office:

1E.5

Email: