• State funding for public K-12 education increased by roughly $13 billion in the 2008-2009 state budget.
• Texas spent $4.5 billion on Medicaid in 1988-89. This biennium, Medicaid spending will approach $40 billion.
• Health and human services spending accounts for approximately 1/3 of the entire state budget.
• Had Texas' government been able to restrain growth to only population and inflation between FY 1990 and 2007, over $320 billion could have remained in taxpayer pockets.
• For the 2008-09 biennium, total state spending is set to exceed $167 billion - more than $75 billion in excess of what the state’s budget would have been if growth were limited to inflation and population only.
• The total cost of state government grew by almost $1,700 per capita since 1988-89, and by more than $600 in the last ten years.
• 43 states, including Texas, empower their governor to use a line-item veto. This budgetary power allows him/her to cancel specific items in the appropriations bill and is one of the most effective ways a governor can influence state spending.
• The budget for 2008-09 grew by $80.7 billion dollars more than the 1998-99 budget.
• Spending on education and health and human services accounts for over 75% of the 2008-09 Texas budget.
• During the past 12 years, state contributions to provide health insurance for state agencies, higher education, and public school retirees have grown at a faster rate than the overall budget for the State of Texas.
• For the 2008-09 biennium, TEA was appropriated $15.3 billion dollars more than the previous biennium.
• Texas taxpayers contribute 9.3% of their income every year to state and local government.
• Texans had to work from Jan. 1st to April 12th just to pay off their total tax bill this year.
• Texas is one of seven states - including Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming - that does not have a personal income tax.
• During the 2008-09 biennium, tax collections will contribute to over 50% of Texas government's revenue.
• Sales taxes are the greatest source of tax revenue for Texas state government. In fiscal year 2009, government will colelct almost $21.3 billion.
• Texas' state and local tax burden is consistently ranked low. In 2007, Texas was ranked 47th in the nation.
• For every $1.00 the state sends to the federal government in the form of taxes, Texans receive $0.94 back in federal spending - making them a "donor state."
• Texas has four consitutional spending limits: "pay-as-you-go", limitation on the growth of certain appropriations, welfare spending limit, and debt service limit.
• Texas Comptroller Susan Combs recently estimated that the state will have a surplus of $10.7 billion for the upcoming biennium.
• The Texas Legislature only has 140 days once every two years to pass the state's budget.
• The 2008-09 Texas budget increased well over 15% since the 2006-07 biennium - from $145.1 billion to $167.8 billion.
• The Texas Margins Tax will cost state businesses almost $12 billion over the next two years - more than double what Texans paid under the old franchise tax.

Learn more about the Texas budget here.