House Bill 1, the House version of next biennium’s budget, will hit the House floor on Friday. Expect a debate that lasts into the weekend. Amendments were due for pre-filing yesterday and were required to create a reduction or be revenue-neutral. Tomorrow, the full House will consider House Bill 4, the supplemental appropriations bill for the current biennium as well as House Bill 275, the vehicle for taking funds from the Rainy Day Fund to cover part of the deficit for the current biennium.
Some new numbers came out last week regarding the Texas job market. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, Texas added 22,700 non-farm jobs last month with the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 8.2 percent. The professional and business services sector added 14,500 jobs. The trade, transportation and utilities sector added 7,500 jobs while mining and logging sector jobs increased by 5,400. The biggest job losses were in construction (4,300 jobs lost) and financial activities sector jobs (2,200 jobs lost). Texas has added 254,200 jobs over the past year.