The only piece of legislation that Texas lawmakers are required to pass each session is the budget, which they did. Gov. Greg Abbott signed off on the two-year, $217 billion budget Monday, but not before using his line-item veto to cut nearly $120 million from various programs.
鈥淚n terms of raw numbers, Abbott鈥檚 cuts were pretty small,鈥� says Texas Tribune reporter . 鈥淚n the total budget that鈥檚 only about one twentieth of one percent, but if you look where the programs really got cut, it was mostly programs dealing with the environment.鈥�
The biggest cut 鈥� $87 million 鈥� went to the state鈥檚 Low-Income Vehicle Repair Assistance Program.
鈥淚t helps low-income Texans in certain cities make repairs to their vehicles if they fail an emissions test,鈥� Walters says. 鈥淭he idea being if you have a better performing car, you鈥檒l have better air quality.鈥�
Abbott , comparing it to President Barack Obama鈥檚 Cash for Clunkers program, which Abbott said was 鈥渋ll-conceived and dubious.鈥�
Walters says the other cuts, although smaller, were still symbolic.
Abbott cut $6 million for another air quality program that would pay for bicycle use programs, carpooling awareness campaigns and other environmental issues.
鈥淗e basically said those programs, in his opinion, are a waste of state dollars and if cities want to keep them, they can pay for them out of their own budget,鈥� Walters says.
Written by Molly Smith.
