Republicans Vote To Bankrupt Texas

The chair recognizes Miss Howard to explain the amendment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, this amendment creates a straightforward but vital safety valve if in any bienium there is insufficient funding to cover the amount appropriated for that bienium i.e. if there is a recession. The comproller will be required to ensure the shortfall is met to the extent possible by using funds already appropriated from this subchapter. In other words, from the ESA program. Importantly, this amendment also includes a built-in safeguard to ensure the transfer is fiscally responsible. It will never exceed the lesser amount of the foundation school program shortfall or the ESA total appropriation. In plain terms, this amendment says that if we don't put enough money in the bucket to fully fund our schools, we at least give the comproller the authority to top it off in the interim to the extent possible before the legislature returns and can make a needed supplemental payment for our schools. For example, this session we included $389 million in additional state funding for the foundation school program in HB500, our supplemental budget. As our current beneal appropriation ended up not fully covering the required formula determined amount after less property taxes were collected than had been projected and student needs were higher. School districts across Texas depend on the foundation school program to pay their teachers, run their buses, and keep their lights on. So, if school property values significantly drop, schools could be forced to lay off teachers and other staff or even to shutter operations. We've seen the tough choices that school districts have had to make when appropriations don't keep pace with needs. With this amendment, we're giving districts something they desperately need, some predictability so they can make hiring decisions, open programs, and serve students knowing the state will have their backs if something goes sideways. Let me be clear. This is not about creating new spending. It's about ensuring that dollars already proposed in our budget are used to meet our constitutional obligation to support and maintain our public schools. This is a measured, targeted, and responsible tool to help protect school funding from unintended. Thank you, members. I respectfully ask for your support. And M. Mr. Romero, for what purpose, Mr. Speaker, does the gentle lady yield? Will the lady yield for questions? I yield. The lady yields. Representative Howard, there's no question that we are in in good times right now, good financial times in Texas. Would you agree? Absolutely. It's it's declining, but uh we have been the past couple of sessions. It's starting to go down. So, we've had surplus after surplus, right? And a record amount in our rainy day fund. Would you agree? I would agree. I was also here in 2011 when public education was cut by 5.4 billion dollar because we were in a recession. Yeah. So I was that was going to be my next So it's in 2011. Yes. And we cut our public school funding by by 5.4 billion. Okay. So I think this is important when we still had money in the rainy day fund that we could have used to prevent those cuts in our schools. So we cut it by 5.4 4 billion. Correct. And no voucher program back then. No. And and today without your amendment, it's possible that we could continue to fully fund the voucher program and all these costs would be made up by the foundation school program. Is that correct? Well, what I'm saying basically is, and I'm not sure I understood exactly how you framed that, but we do have a formula that funds our schools, and we project what we expect to come in and sometimes we have a a downturn in our economy, right? The money does not come in that we project the property values. I just got my property appraisal notice this week. My appraisal on my home has gone down. So that will mean less money coming in to our schools. We have to be looking at two and a half years at least ahead to project this. Sometimes we don't project it accurately and more money is needed for our schools. This will help our schools in the interim before we can come back and provide a supplemental budget so that they do not have to lay teachers off. They do not have to shutter their doors. Well, I I thank you for for the proposal and I'm not sure if this is the correct place. So that was the purpose of my question is that if we have another downturn, if we were to suffer a recession, yes, that that there could be potential for cutting public education. Is your understanding right now that without some measure included in this bill, I'm not sure if the author can tell us if there is a measure of what his intention would be, that if we ever cut public education, would we also cut maybe by the same percentage the the money that we put into the voucher program? Actually, what this is suggesting is that if there is a downturn and we do not have the revenue to meet the formula required amounts that we are supposed to provide to our public schools that we will use the money for private schools to put back into our constitutionally required public schools to ensure that they do not have the shortfall that they would otherwise have. It's a great amendment. Thank you. Thank you. Move adoption. The chair recognizes Dr. Buckley in opposition to the amendment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I respectfully move to table. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Romero, for what purpose? Does gentleman yield for questions? The gentleman has moved to table. He'll have that fast. He'll have to withdraw his motion to table in order to yield for questions. Sorry. The motion to table is withdrawn. Mr. Romero, for what purpose? Thank you, Mr. Thank you, Chairman Buckley. Um, the gentleman Will the gentleman yield for questions? Will the gentleman yield for questions? The gentleman yields. Thank you, Chairman Buckley. So, I want to understand and stay within the parameters of the of the amendment here and that there would be there is an opportunity in future years that we don't have these good times as we're having today and there is potential for cutting of public education. Would you agree that that's always on the table? Well, every session, Mr. Romero. Uh, you know, everything that we do is subject to passing the budget and um, we are the funding for the program in SB2 is totally dependent upon this body taking action and appropriating the dollars. Understood. And and the but but you do agree that as I asked uh, Representative Howard, we're in great times right now. Because we're in great times, we're able to do more. And I believe that that's why you're trying to do more. you believe that this is a way that you're actually doing more by Texas families and and I think that we're it's easy to see those things and do some of those things when we're in abundant times. You could argue that this is a time when people are moving to Texas at a record level where sales tax are at record levels. We have more money than we've ever had and potentially that might be the reason why uh this this bill is where it is and why it's gotten the wins that it has. So to the point of her amendment here, there's still grave concern that we might not be in in these times as we are today. And if that occurs, do you do you of course you would understand that we could potentially cut public education if we were to fall into recession like we did in 2011. Would you agree? I cannot speak to the actions of the future legislature. Uh, but I do know that this bill requires that the legislature take action to appropriate any dollars for this program and and I trust those future legislators to do what is right and what's best by Texas families and their kids. I trust them as as as you do as well. But whenever we have to make those decisions, do you believe that, and I know this is a hypothetical, Chairman Buckley, and I hate to ask you to to answer this question, but I will. Do you believe that if we are ever in a position where we had to cut public schools, you would also be in favor of cutting vouchers by the same rate that we'd cut public schools? I'm in favor of the legislature and those duly elected by those folks back home to make that decision in the future. Um, concerning this hypothetical situation, and I'm sure they will. I know they will do right by Texas. you don't believe that it would be fair, not speaking about the future legislators, but you as a legislator, would you feel that it would be fair to Texas public school kids that you just passed a very pivotal bill uh in in HB2 and finally, you know, bringing us back up as you mentioned, and I won't go back through all the words that you said today. you did a great job, but do you think that it would be fair to all those kids that remain in traditional public schools if we faced the recession and we didn't make an adjustment in in the voucher program? If I were involved in the future, whenever that hypothetical time is, I would make sure uh that we did right by Texas Kids in in our public schools. And and and and if that included cutting the budget for public schools, would you believe that that would include cutting the budget for the voucher program as well? I sus I suspect that if the state were in a in a in a economic u uh instance in incidents like that that there would be significant decisions to be made throughout the Texas budget. Yeah. And I and I agree, but this very specifically is dealing with education. At this point, we're only going to fund education through through traditional public schools that include charters and so on, but now private schools. Do you believe that that would be the right decision to make that educ if you had to cut public education, you would cut it across the board in all forms of education, all taxpayer funded education? I believe that that the legislature would act in terms of of what was best to make sure that uh our schools were funded uh and that os up and down the budget were funded to the extent that the that the legislature could fund it. Yeah. But but I'm talking about cuts, not necessarily funding, but we're in we we've had we cut by five a.5 billion dollars in 2011 and and we're just getting back to those levels, you know. So my my point is if we had to cut at that time, would you not could you feel good about yourself saying that we only cut public education and yet we left the private school funding the way the same? I think um what I said was is that I think that those future legislators would would make a decision uh to to meet their constitutional requirements to fund our schools, our public schools, and also make decisions on on the impact that other budget cuts would have on Texas families up and down the budget. Everything from SB2 all the way to our roads and and and uh health care and and and and everything up and down the budget. All thousand and whatever pages of it. Yes, sir. And back on the amendment here by Representative Howard, if you're in a position where we where we're in a recession and we were in great times such where we have almost $30 billion in rainy day in rainy day fund, uh would you be uh would you be in the position of understanding the predicament that that put public school teachers and all the students in Texas if we ever had to defund our schools again? Yeah, certainly in the hypothetical time that you that you sort of describe or or lay out, I think that uh that would be a a moment for this for this body to act in a prudent fashion throughout the budget and everything to make sure that we we meet our responsibilities to Texans. Absolutely. Thank you, Chairman. Yes, sir. Mr. Frank, for what purpose? Uh would the speaker yield for one or the member? Gentleman yield for questions. Yes. Dr. Ruckley, as I understand it, in the current bill, the current funding for ESAs are set at 85% of what we're putting in just for the oper for the uh operational portion of the schools. Is that right? Wouldn't it necessarily it would go down. It's they're already tied although the ESA is a lower amount. Am I missing that? Maybe. Yeah. Yeah, that's that's that's a great point. And um hypothetically, should public school funding decrease, then ESA amounts would decrease as well, right? Because we I mean, literally, they're already tied to, but much lower than what they're getting and with no facility funding. So, it's not just 85% of it's probably more like 60% of the total amount, but they're already tied kind of assuming that is going to happen. So, it's already lower and tied that. Yes. Yes, sir. You are correct. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Respectfully move the table. Chair recognizes Miss Howard to close on the amendment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I appreciate the conversation. It's not exactly what this amendment is about. What we're talking about here is what do we do during the interim between sessions when the legislature is not here to act. What happens is if we enter a recession during the interim and public schools are losing funds, we are what I'm asking for in this amendment is that rather than let our public schools suffer that they be able to have the comproller transfer any funding that is for ESAs back into public education, which we are constitutionally required to provide and not and then we can take care of it when we come back as you've just hearing in this interchange in the next session and do a supplemental as we did this time. But this is about protecting our school districts in the interim when we are not in session and they could be suffering. They could be having to do layoffs. They could be having to shutter their doors. We give them a lifeline to continue to meet the needs of public school students in our states. I would appreciate that you vote no against the motion to table. Thank you. Miss Howard sends up an amendment. Dr. Buckley moves to table. The question on the mo is on the motion to table. If you're in favor of the amendment, vote no on the motion to table. If you're opposed the amendment, vote yes on the motion to table. A record vote has been requested. The clerk will ring the bell. Shall Mr. Hunter voting I. Shall Dr. Mr. Buckley voting I show Mr. Hood voting I show Miss Isaac voting I have all voted there being 85 I's 61 ns a motion to table prevails the following amendment the clerk will read the amendment