Texas’ proposed budget cuts frustrate senators in both parties

AUSTIN — A grumbling group of Senate budget writers tackled Texas’ towering budget shortfall on Monday.
If their first day of work was a taste of things to come, look for a sour session.
Republicans and Democrats alike protested at the Senate Finance Committee’s first hearing on proposed budget cuts. They said reductions in programs for disabled children and the mentally ill would go too deep.
“When I look at children with autism …and we’re talking about [going] from 180 [children served] to 90, I want to be sure you’ve cut to the bone everywhere you can possibly cut that does not impact people,” Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, told the head of the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services.
Garrett: http://dallasne.ws/dK3OHr