Chuck Hopson: Texas State Representative

Texas House of Representatives passes 2010-11 budget

The Texas House of Representatives trimmed $4 billion from the senate budget and passed the state’s 2010-11 biennial budget by a vote of 149-0.

The house version of Senate Bill 1 totals $178 billion, which represents a 2.5 percent increase over the previous budget.

The budget includes $80 billion from general revenue and approximately $11 billion in federal stimulus funds.

State Rep. Chuck Hopson (D-Jacksonville) issued a cautionary press release Monday, predicting that the next session will be even harder to balance if the state has to make up the difference on the stimulus funds.

“The Texas economy might be in for difficult financial times over the next few years,” he said. “We need to manage our funds by cutting waste and paying for only the things we need.”