Posted in [Recent Posts]

 State Representative Mike Villarreal

Texas House of Representatives

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                             

May 26, 2011

Contact: Peter Clark                                              

Phone:   512-463-0532 (o), 512-417-9262 (c)

Email:     Peter.Clark@house.state.tx.us

State Budget Agreement Bad News for Students, Seniors and Women

Austin -  Today the Conference Committee on HB 1 approved a final state budget proposal containing deep cuts to programs for students, seniors, and women throughout Texas. The 2012-2013 budget is expected to face a final vote in the House and Senate this weekend.

"The Republican budget is particularly harmful to seniors, students and women," said Rep. Villarreal. "Between eliminating jobs for teachers and nurses, slashing women's health services,  hurting public schools, and cutting financial aid, the Republican budget is a raw deal for women in this state." 

The budget falls $4 billion short of fully funding the public school system. The shortfall for public schools in the final budget appears better than the $8 billion cut in the earlier House version, although $3 billion of that apparent improvement is based on simply reducing the state's obligation by postponing a payment to schools into the next budget cycle and increasing the estimate of local property values. The budget also eliminates over $1 billion in grants for pre-kindergarten and other education programs. 

The budget will reduce access to higher education by eliminating financial aid for over 43,000 students, including 29,000 students who would lose a TEXAS Grant, the state's main merit and need-based scholarship program. The budget also completely eliminates funding for a number of programs and scholarships, including the Engineering Recruitment Program, Combat Tuition Reimbursement, Texas Career Opportunity Grants, the Professional Nursing Aid program, the Vocational Nursing Aid program, and Hospital-Based Nursing Education. The Teach for Texas Loan Repayment Program for teachers with student debt was reduced 91 percent. In addition to eliminating financial aid for thousands of students, the budget is likely to push colleges to increase tuition in response to reduced state funding to higher education institutions.

The budget reduces the total investment in health and human services for children, women, seniors, people in nursing homes, and Texans with disabilities by 17 percent compared to the previous budget cycle. Those in control of the budget have set up these programs to run out of money at least four months before the budget cycle ends. The cuts to women's health programs, which do not provide abortions, are particularly severe. Funding for family planning under the Department of State Health Services would decline from $111 million to $38 million. Of the $73 million reduction, $62 million was cut by a series of Republican amendments during the House debate on the budget. A Legislative Budget Board (LBB) analysis of just the $62 million cut estimates that approximately 284,000 women will lose family planning services. As a result, the LBB predicts over 20,000 more unplanned births at a total cost of $231 million.

"Republicans had the option of protecting women, children and seniors by using some of the Rainy Day Fund and closing corporate tax loopholes, but they refused," said Rep. Villarreal.

###