Senate committee pushes budget bill.

The Senate Finance Committee took the first major step toward laying out the financial framework for the next biennium. Members unanimously passed the $195.5 billion budget budget bill, SB1, Wednesday. It includes $94.1 billion dollars in general revenue.and allocates $1.4 billion in extra funding for the state's schools.

One of the more controversial aspects of the appropriations bill is a rider that would make it near impossible to expand Medicaid in Texas.

Watch the video below for more details about the proposed plan and see reaction from the Quorum Report's Harvey Kronberg.

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Looser Drug Laws

Lawmakers are considering legislation that would lessen penalties for some drug crimes. Rep. Harold Dutton is supporting a measure that would eliminate jail time for anyone arrested with less than an ounce of marijuana in their possession.

Similar legislation has been proposed in the past, but failed to make it out of committee. Wednesday, Rob Kampia with the Marijuana Policy Project joined us in the studio to talk about what he hopes is a different approach this time around.

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Inside Out

We've almost reached the half-way point of the legislative session and some of the real work is about to begin. Lawmakers have been debating proposed legislation in committees for weeks now. Soon, the time will come to take the fight to the floor.

Former lawmakers Aaron Pena and Hector Uribe joined us in the studio to talk about the pressure to get a bill out of committee and offer some insight into the lighter side of the floor fight.

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