Top House Lawmaker Says Budget Will Grow

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ A top Republican leader says Texans are “waking up” to the cuts made by the Texas House and vows to add more revenue to the bare-bones proposal.

GOP Rep. Jim Pitts, who authored the budget bill in the House, said Tuesday that it could grow by as much as $5 billion before the legislative session ends in May. He said accounting tricks such as deferring payments and speeding up revenue collections were among the methods lawmakers would use to get more money.

Pitts made the comments two days after the House passed a bill that makes deep cuts in education, nursing homes, college grants and other programs.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

More News