AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ A Texas House committee today approved a $178 billion state budget.
The measure is a 5 percent increase over the previous two-year budget — but about $4 billion less than the Texas Senate version. The bill now moves to the full Texas House.
The House version includes about $11 billion in spending from the federal stimulus package.
Neither version taps the state’s Rainy Day Fund, which is expected to have $9.1 billion if left untouched over the next two years.
The Texas Transportation Department has already announced over $2 billion worth of road projects from the stimulus package.
The House budget also authorizes $300 million in bonds for cancer research and prevention, compared to $600 million in the Senate version.
The House also put more than $200 million into the cash-strapped TEXAS Grants, the state’s biggest college financial aid program.