House panel advances new Texas budget with property tax cuts, teacher pay raises

A key Texas House panel on Thursday gave final approval to a two-year $302.6 billion spending plan that includes property tax cuts, border security initiativesand the first pay raises for state employees and teachers in more than a decade. The House Appropriations Committee’s signoff with a 23-3 party-line vote on the 2024-25 plan, which spends $136.9 billion in general revenue, sends it to the full House.