Lawmakers have to pass budget
AUSTIN, TEXAS (AP) -- The Texas Senate has begun debating the state budget for 2010-2011.
The $182.2 billion budget is the most important bill lawmakers will consider during the five-month legislative session. It uses about $11 billion in federal stimulus money, which helped address a shortfall between available state revenue and spending needs. The federal money also makes it possible for lawmakers to leave a projected $9 billion balance in the state's Rainy Day Fund untouched. The House is still working on its version of the budget and details are likely to change as the measure winds through the legislative process.
State dollars, made up mostly of sales tax revenue and other taxes, comprise almost 48 percent of the total budget.
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