AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ For those lawmakers who may have thought the state’s budgetary woes are solved, Representative Jim Pitts gave a reality check: Think again.
Pitts, the lead House budget writer, warned his colleagues Thursday that without the passage of certain legislation, schools would close in February 2013. Medicaid would only be funded through March 2013.
House and Senate teams have begun negotiations to find a budget compromise. But to avoid a shutdown of key government services, lawmakers must also pass a bill that reworks the school funding formulas and other legislation that frees up non-tax revenue.
The legislative session ends in less than three weeks.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)