Where the Money is Spent

Texas’ 2010-11 budget, adopted by the Texas Legislature in 2009, appropriates a total of $182.2 billion to finance state government operations. Dozens of agencies and hundreds of programs will abide by the Texas budget as a financial guideline to provide the public with state services.

The Governor and Legislative Budget Board are responsible for the first step in the budget preparation process: developing a statewide vision of the Texas government. State agencies also evaluate their own mission to serve Texans and establish a long-term plan that operates as the basis of Legislative Appropriation Requests drafted for the Legislative Budget Board.

Once appropriations requests are deliberated between key players in the Texas budget process, development of the appropriations bill can begin. Before the Governor signs the budget into law, it must pass through the Legislature, and the Comptroller of Public Accounts must certify that state revenue is sufficient enough to cover the proposed appropriations.

Each section (known as an Article) within the budget is categorized by government function. State appropriations fulfill the funding requirements of the public education system, health and human services, business and economic development, public safety, natural resources, general government, regulatory measures, the legislature, and the judiciary.

State expenditures within these agencies and programs include administrative costs, capital outlays, and program services, just to name a few of the many taxpayer funded expenditures by the government.