AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott said late Thursday that he’ll let lawmakers help decide how to spend billions of federal COVID-19 relief money, even though a demand by the House for that to happen has been dropped from a compromise version of the two-year state budget.
Responding to a request from legislative leaders, Abbott offered a trust-me deal.
He vowed to add how Texas spends its share of the American Rescue Plan Act’s pandemic-related fiscal relief money for states — about $16 billion — to the agenda of an expected special session on redistricting this fall.
The coronavirus outbreak delayed release by the Census Bureau of detailed information needed for the once-a-decade redrawing of political maps. For many weeks, lawmakers have known that they won’t be able to finish redistricting in the current session, which ends May 31.
“As everybody knows, I will be calling a special session for redistricting in the fall and have committed to Lt. Gov. Patrick, Speaker Phelan, Chairs Nelson and Bonnen, and Vice Chairs Lucio and González that I will place the allocation of the nearly $16 billion in Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Relief federal funds on the same special call so the entire Legislature can participate in the allocation process in a way that best serves all Texans,” Abbott said in a written statement.
He was referring to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the Senate’s presiding officer; Speaker Dade Phelan, the House’s helmsman; budget committee leaders Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, and Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood; and the Democratic vice chairmen of those panels, Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. of Brownsville and Rep. Mary González of Clint.
On Wednesday, 10 House and Senate budget negotiators disclosed that they tossed a provision that would have barred any of the piles of federal pandemic relief and stimulus money flowing from Washington from being spent unless the Legislature — in regular or special session — has approved.
Late last month, the House added the requirement when it approved Victoria GOP Rep. Geanie Morrison’s floor amendment to the budget, 147-0.
For months, some lawmakers — especially House members, and primarily, though not exclusively, Democrats — have complained they weren’t consulted when Abbott and a small group of legislators decided how to spend the first waves of federal COVID-19 relief money.
The budget is nearing final approval. Some final decisions made by the House-Senate conference committee on the bill, Senate Bill 1, were released late Wednesday. The Legislative Budget Board, though, has not released spending totals. Still, the two-year budget is expected to spend about $250 billion, including federal funds but not the $16 billion yet to be allocated.
“The Texas Legislature has crafted a conservative and balanced budget that will secure a more prosperous future for Texas,” Abbott said. “This budget will meet the needs of Texans and keeps government spending under control.”
