The Volcker Alliance

State Budget Sources
An Annotated Guide to State Budgets, Financial Reports, and Fiscal Analyses

Texas

This information is an updated excerpt from State Budget Sources: An Annotated Guide to State Budgets, Financial Reports, and Fiscal Analyses, a resource published by the Volcker Alliance designed to help public officials, policy advocates, journalists, academics, and concerned citizens fully understand the critical fiscal decisions that governors and legislators must make. The guide includes links to budgets for this state as well as legislative analyses of budget bills and treasurers’ or comptrollers’ monthly state cash-flow statements; capital spending plans; reports on public-worker pension funding and returns; and reports by local and national fiscal research organizations, bond rating firms, and associations of state fiscal and finance officials.

Executive and Other Constitutional Finance Offices

Governor’s Office

https://gov.texas.gov/

Lieutenant Governor’s Office

Elected official who serves as chairman of the Legislative Budget Board.
https://www.ltgov.state.tx.us

Budget and Policy Offices

Governor’s proposed budgets, operating and agency budget instructions, and strategic planning information.
http://gov.texas.gov/bpp

Comptroller of Public Accounts

Elected official with oversight of state finances, accounting, financial reporting, taxes, revenue estimating, and treasurer functions.
http://comptroller.texas.gov

Comptroller of Public Accounts: Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports

https://comptroller.texas.gov/transparency/reports/comprehensive-annual-financia…

Comptroller of Public Accounts: Publications

Budget, revenue, taxes, and the economy.
https://comptroller.texas.gov/transparency/reports/

Comptroller of Public Accounts: Texas Transparency

Site includes budget, revenue, spending, debt, financial forecasts, investment, and contract information.
https://comptroller.texas.gov/transparency/

Comptroller of Public Accounts: Texas Transparency: Budget, Financial, and Economic Reports and Forecasts

https://www.comptroller.texas.gov/transparency/budget

Comptroller of Public Accounts: Texas Transparency: Investments

https://www.comptroller.texas.gov/transparency/budget/investments.php

Comptroller of Public Accounts: Texas Transparency: Debt Information

https://www.comptroller.texas.gov/transparency/local/debt/counties.php

State Auditor’s Office

A variety of audits and reviews covering efficiency, effectiveness, compliance, and financial matters, as well as periodic examinations of retirement systems.
https://www.sao.texas.gov

Legislative Offices and Other Resources

Legislative Budget Board

With a structure that is significantly different than budget offices in other states, the board receives and reviews budget submissions from agencies, a job more commonly performed by a governor’s office. The separately elected lieutenant governor, who is part of both the executive and legislative branches, chairs the board and appoints its members.
http://www.lbb.state.tx.us

Legislative Budget Board: Reference Documents

http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/Reference_Documents.aspx

Legislative Budget Board: Publications

http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/publications.aspx

House Research

Research reports and interim news briefs, some relating to financial issues.
http://www.hro.house.state.tx.us

House Research: Publications

http://www.hro.house.state.tx.us/publications.aspx

Texas Sunset Advisory Commission

In-depth reports of Texas agencies and boards, including retirement systems and other organizations relevant to state finances.
https://www.sunset.texas.gov

Nongovernmental Organizations

Center for Public Policy Priorities

Focuses on children’s issues, economic opportunity, and social justice, with some attention to budget and finance; part of the State Priorities Partnership, a network of state organizations coordinated by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
http://forabettertexas.org

Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University

Policy research that delves into tax and other finance issues with a focus on economic impact.
http://bush.tamu.edu/mosbacher

Texas Public Policy Foundation

Public policy organization with an emphasis on personal responsibility; includes tax and spending section; part of the State Policy Network of state-focused, free market-oriented think tanks.
http://www.texaspolicy.com

Texas Taxpayers and Research Association

Focuses on Texas fiscal policies and impact on businesses; member of the Governmental Research Association and the National Taxpayers Conference.
http://www.ttara.org

Texas Watchdog.org

A project of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, this news organization is dedicated to transparency and accountability, with a mission to “expose the facts about government mismanagement and overreach” and to provide oversight of state government.
http://watchdog.org/category/texas
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