Texas Legislature convenes with record-setting $33 billion surplus: 'This is truly a historical, once-in-a-lifetime budgeting session'

The 88th session of the Texas Legislature began on Tuesday with the Lone Star State in the black. 

According to a report from Austin NBC affiliate KXAN, state Comptroller of Public Accounts Glenn Hegar announced on the eve of the 2023 regular session that lawmakers have a record-setting $33 billion budget surplus on their hands for the next two years.

KXAN reported that Hegar’s Biennial Revenue Estimate (BRE) indicates that the $188 billion available to the state is a huge increase in many ways, adding the figure greatly surpasses the previous bienniums. 

“This is truly a historical, once-in-a-lifetime budgeting session,” Texas’ top revenue estimator said, per the station. “They have bigger opportunities to make impacts that impact Texans today that are struggling with inflation, or impact the future generations as they come forward with long-term decisions they’re going to make in the next 140 days. It’s truly what I deem a once-in-a-lifetime session.”

Both chambers of the Texas Legislature remain in Republican control as they have been for the last three decades. 

Former state lawmaker Sherri Greenberg, the assistant dean for state and local government engagement in the University of Texas at Austin’s (UT) Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) School of Public Affairs, told Austin ABC affiliate KVUE that much of the proposed legislation will likely focus on issues important to conservatives such as border security, immigration laws and election integrity. 

According to KVUE, legislators filed 1,600 bills before the session, with Friday, March 10 being the deadline for any additional proposed measures.

A Texas Tribune article that was run by Austin CBS affiliate KEYE reported that while the budget surplus appears to have enough funds to cover any lawmaker’s pet project, discussions will still be held as to how the money should be spent. 

The publication reported that the state’s highways and its rainy day fund have already been earmarked. 

“It’s always easiest to spend other people’s money, so everyone is going to try to get their pet projects done,” St. Edward’s University (SEU) political science professor Dr. Brian Smith said in the report.