Senate committee passes Texas' budget

$177 billion state budget now heads to the Senate

Updated: Monday, 30 Mar 2009, 12:21 PM CDT
Published : Monday, 30 Mar 2009, 11:50 AM CDT

AUSTIN (AP) - A two-year, $177 billion state budget is headed for the Texas Senate. That is after the Senate Finance Committee voted 14-0 Monday to adopt the plan.

The proposal for 2010-2011 spends almost $11 billion in federal stimulus funds. That money helped lawmakers close a multi-billion dollar gap between the amount of state revenue available and spending needs. Most of the money is spent on education and health care.

The full Senate is expected to take up the budget within a few days. The House is working on its own version of the budget.

The two-year state budget is the one piece of legislation lawmakers are legally required to adopt during the biennial legislative session, which adjourns in June.