Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst says spending on public education can be maintained and even increased in the next two-year budget.
Dewhurst also vowed Friday that the state Senate, over which he presides, would not agree to cut Medicaid reimbursement rates for nursing homes. The Republican lieutenant governor's vision is a far cry from the cringe-inducing cuts headed for a vote in the House next week.
"We can still fund education, the Foundation School Program ... at the same appropriated level we're funding right this second, actually higher," Dewhurst said at a legislative conference.
Dewhurst said staggering cuts can be avoided by selling state land, reducing certain expenses and raising other "non-tax" revenue.
