The 89th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature is in full swing! Like other state agencies, the State Law Library is in the midst of our budget requests to the Legislature.

Read on for a quick look at the basic functions of the state budget process and some pointers on how to provide public testimony on a bill during the session.

How does the state budget come together?

Planning and implementing the state’s budget is a lengthy process!

1. Legislative Appropriations Requests

In the spring or summer before an upcoming legislative session, the Governor’s Budget and Policy Division and the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) send instructions for agencies to develop their budget requests for the next two years.

These requests are known as Legislative Appropriations Requests (LARs). Agencies are typically required to submit their LAR by the late summer or early fall.

An LAR usually contains:

• funding and spending details from the previous two years;
• data about how the agency is meeting performance goals on specific metrics; and
• requests for funding above and beyond the budget from the previous appropriation cycle.

2. Appropriations Bill

The LBB uses the LARs gathered from the agencies to create the first draft of the appropriations bill. A copy of this bill is sent to the governor and the Legislature, where it is filed. The House and Senate typically taking turns on who leads the procedure. During the legislative session, all agencies provide testimony on their budget requests to the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Appropriations.

Once the bill passes each chamber and any differences are resolved via conference committee, the bill will receive a final vote from both houses. The final bill is then certified by the comptroller, signed by the governor, and implemented over the next two years.

The Senate Research Center has a great explanation of this process in much more detail in their Budget 101 guide. You can also find more documents and information on the budget process on the Legislative Reference Library’s State Budget page.

Where can I find the library’s budget request information?

You can find a copy of current and past LARs on our Financial Information page.

If the library has helped you find legal information or locate a great resource, and you’d like to share your story with the Legislature, consider contacting your representatives! Hearing from people who have been directly affected by a state agency can help legislators make decisions about the state's budget.

The library’s budget hearing with the Texas House will take place on Thursday, February 27th. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Article IV begins at 8:00 a.m., but the library’s presentation will take place later in the day’s schedule.

The notice of public hearing is available on Texas Legislature Online’s Committees page. It includes the hearing's agenda, instructions for public access, and a link to submit electronic comments. There is also a link to access the live broadcast of the hearing on the House’s Live Broadcasts page.

If you’d like to voice your opinion about a particular bill, consider signing up to testify at the bill’s committee hearing. Below is information about testifying at committee hearings in both the House and Senate.

I want to testify about a bill. How can I do that?

To testify in person:

1. Start by signing up for an account on Texas Legislature Online’s MyTLO. You’ll need to opt in to the bill alert system to get e-mail alerts about the bill’s progress.
2. Keep an eye out for a notification telling you when the committee will hold a hearing for the bill. You can also browse the Committees page on TLO for meeting info.
3. Once it’s announced, make plans to attend the hearing. Not all committee hearings offer witness testimony, though. Some may only hear invited testimony. Be sure to check the hearing notice to see if public testimony is an option.
4. Sign up to testify! How you sign up depends on whether it is a House or Senate committee hearing.
5. Once your name is called, state your thoughts! Witnesses usually have 2 or 3 minutes to testify, but this can vary. The agenda will usually state how much time each witness has.

What if I can’t testify in person?

If you can’t make it to the committee meeting in person, you have the option to submit electronic comments without testifying in person. Check the notice of public hearing for the link to submit comments. The comments will be included in the committee hearing’s public record.

Of course, you can always contact your representatives directly to express your thoughts. You can find a list of members and contact info on the websites of the House and Senate. If you aren’t sure who your representatives are, search your address in the Who Represents Me? tool.

Check out our previous Spotlight post for basic information about the legislative session. As always, you can reach out to us through our Ask a Librarian page if you need help!