Texas State Senator Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, last week filed Senate Bill 1, the Senate’s base budget, beginning the legislative process for developing the state’s FY 2022-23 biennial budget.
“Texas’ economic strength — and the work we did to scrutinize agency budgets — puts us in a better than anticipated position to keep our commitment to education, defeat the coronavirus and invest in our economic recovery,” Nelson said. “SB 1 funds essential services, keeps up with growth and meets our obligations to vulnerable citizens. It is a starting point. We have many tools available to balance this budget, which will require us to re-establish our priorities, stretch every dollar and find more efficient ways to deliver services.”
SB 1, as filed, appropriates $251.2 billion in All Funds and $119.7 billion in General Revenue, according to a news release from Nelson’s office. This represents 4% growth in General Revenue, is well within population and inflation and reflects the 5 percent reductions agencies were asked to make in the current biennium. Highlights of SB 1 include:
- Funding for the full Foundation School Program entitlement, reflecting changes made last session to the school finance formula, including:
- $3.1 billion to fund enrollment growth for public education, based on an estimated 36,000 additional students per year;
- $1 billion in additional state aid related to property tax compression in the 2022-23 biennium;
- $5 billion, an increase of $452.8 million, for payroll growth and continued reforms to the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) passed last session through SB 12;
- $897.6 million, an increase of $39.5 million, for statutorily required contributions to TRS-Care to maintain current health insurance premiums and benefits for our retired teachers;
- $8.1 billion to fund higher education institution formulas;
- Maintained funding for Graduate Medical Education formulas;
- Funding to cover projected caseloads for the Medicaid program;
- Combined projected funding of $8 billion for mental health across 24 state agencies, including:
- an increase of $19.5 million to maintain operations for the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium;
- over $1 million in new funding for Senator Nelson’s SB 64, to create a peer-to-peer counseling network and increase access to licensed mental health providers for Texas Law Enforcement Officers;
- $145 million to continue community mental health grant programs;
- $352.6 million, an increase of $10.2 million, for women’s health programs, including the continuation of the Healthy Texas Women program’s enhanced post-partum care services implemented by the Legislature last session;
- Lower target caseloads for conservatorship workers at Child Protective Services;
- $589 million to continue funding for Community Based Care catchment areas authorized by the Legislature;
- $7 million to maintain funding for Maternal Mortality and Morbidity safety initiatives as well as public awareness and prevention activities;
- Funding for priority victims assistance programs, including $29.7 million for Rape Crisis Centers and $1.8 million for the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners program;
- $57.6 million across all articles to continue fighting human trafficking through prevention, detection, victim services and the justice system;
- $1.3 million to perform necessary maintenance on the Texas Election Administration Management System, which manages voter registrations in Texas;
- $271.2 million to meet the contract obligations of the Guaranteed Tuition Plan for Texas college students, providing a more affordable college experience for Texas families;
- $128.5 million to fund Department of Public Safety Crime Lab services, including maintaining prioritization and timely testing of sexual assault kits;
- $39.1 million in new appropriations to fortify security at the Texas Capitol, including additional troopers and enhanced safety measures;
- $30.4 billion to the Texas Department of Transportation to address the state’s transportation needs, including $26.4 billion dedicated for highway planning, design, construction, and maintenance;
- 100 percent appropriation of estimated available sporting goods sales tax, totaling $332.3 million to support state parks and historical sites;
- $10.2 million for the Surplus Agricultural Products Grant Program at the Texas Department of Agriculture, a continuation of 2020-21 appropriated levels to support Texas food banks;
- Maintained $36.9 million to address structural repair, operation, and maintenance of earthen flood control dams;
- Increase of $19.2 million for air quality and monitoring, water quality and monitoring, and operations at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; and
- $21.5 million in capital budget authority for Phase II of the Mainframe Transformation IT Project at the Texas Railroad Commission, which will replace aging technology to allow for a more efficient and secure application process.
