Austin, TX

The Texas House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 1 late Thursday night, April 4. SB 1 is the general appropriations bill for the next two years which provides for additional funding while maintaining fiscal responsibility. This budget also provides an additional $2.7 billion for public schools, which is a step in the right direction for Texas, but Representative Poncho Nevárez knows that more can be done. "I supported the budget, but it still does not address the cuts that were made last session to public education," Nevárez states. "Our children deserve a fully funded education system and we are only half way there." Two years ago in the 82nd legislature, the public education budget was slashed by $4 billion increasing classroom sizes and terminating facility throughout the state. While this biennium budget proposal includes additional funds for schools, Nevárez argues that the rainy-day fund, which is generated mostly from oil and gas production taxes and includes $11.8 billion by the end of the 2014-2015 budget cycle, should have been tapped to be used for schools. There is HB 11 that uses money from the rainy-day fund to contribute to the state's water infrastructures and Representative Nevárez understands that this needs to be done for education as well. "We plan on allocating and creating a loan fund from the rainy-day funds for important water infrastructures," says Nevárez. "Using the same logic, we should be discussing and finding ways to get us back to where we were before the education cuts of the last biennium".

Representative Poncho Nevárez is currently serving his first term in the Texas House of Representatives. He represents District 74. He also serves on the House Culture Recreation and Tourism, International Trade & Intergovernmental Affairs and Rules and Resolutions Committees.