AMARILLO, TEXAS -- The Texas Legislature is still in trying to iron out many of the details for a state budget and for redistricting.
We spoke with a handful of state officials to get an update on where they're at?
According to State Representative Four Price when it comes to redistricting the house and the senate have both passed maps and they will exchange bills with each other’s chambers soon.
And Representative Warren Chisum says congressional redistricting is coming soon as well.
“The congressional redistricting is making it's way around and we're looking at it in both the house and the senate, so there's very likely we could actually finish that also.”
And where do we stand with the budget negotiations?
“If they can agree on the source of funds and the amount the rest of the details will be taken up in the house either this afternoon or tomorrow and the senate as well and we should be able to get a budget in place before the end of the session,” said State Representative Four Price.
Senator Kel Seliger tells us it is nose to the grindstone time as the session winds down.
“Everybody is working hard and on dozens of different things, I'm sitting here trying to work on a congressional map, I've got a bill on agricultural sales tax exemptions, we're meeting on the budget, there's a lot of different things going on now.”
But with all of the hold up's they've had will they have to go to a special session?
State Representative John Smithee says, it's still to early to tell and they'll have a better handle on it by tomorrow but every hour that passes makes it more likely.
WT Professor Dave Rausch thinks they will go to special session for at least on of these issues.
“I'm still thinking that there will have to be a special session on either redistricting or the budget, I don't think, cause the session ends next Monday the 30th I'm not sure they can get that set, if they can get both those issues taken care of in that short period of time.”
Seliger went on to say things like this take time because when you're going to spend a total of 180 billion dollars in taxpayer’s money that it should be done with painstaking care.
