Lawmakers Signal Willingness to Use Rainy Day Fund

By Amanda Brownson posted 01-22-2019 08:13

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Lawmakers in both the House and Senate have signaled a willingness to access the state Economic Stabilization Fund (sometimes called the ESF or rainy day fund) this session. On the House side, the base budget that is the starting point for what lawmakers plan to spend over the next two years includes $633 million in appropriations from the ESF, including

$230.8 million for TRS care to maintain 2019 benefits and premium levels;
$43.6 million for school safety; and
$100 million for disaster grants out of the office of the Governor
$164 million to the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

Because these appropriations will be more than offset by anticipated deposits into the fund during that same two year period, they are projecting an ending balance under the proposed budget of $14.7 billion, even with these appropriations.

On the Senate side, ESF spending is included in the supplemental appropriations bill (SB 500). The supplemental appropriations bill includes appropriations needed to finish out the current fiscal year. Here, ESF appropriations include:

$211 million for the Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan;
$300 million to the Employees Retirement System and $300 million to the TRS pension funds;
$100 million for disaster grants;
$110 million to Health and Human Services for increased costs related to Hurricane Harvey;
$300 million to the Health and Human Services commission for improvements to hospital facilities and capital repairs;
$1 billion to TEA for FSP costs related to Hurricane Harvey;
$55 million to the Texas A&M Forrest Services; and
$38.6 million to TDCJ for Hurricane Harvey related costs.

As it is still very early in the session, the funding amounts listed should be taken as a starting point, which will change as policy-makers refine cost estimates and bills move through the legislative process.

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