By BJ Austin, KERA News & Wire Services
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-944748.mp3
Dallas, TX – Texas has a budget shortfall of about 27 BILLION dollars. State Comptroller Susan Combs released the new numbers this morning. Combs says the state will generate about 72 billion dollars over the next two years - not nearly enough to cover the 99 billion in current programs and services.
State lawmakers convene in session tomorrow and budget cutting will be a top priority.
In a statement, Governor Rick Perry promises the budget will be balanced without higher taxes. He says lawmakers must separate the "wants" from the "needs."
Republicans vote to keep Straus atop Texas House
Texas Speaker Joe Straus has overcome a right-wing challenge from within the Republican party to win an important endorsement from fellow lawmakers.
Republican caucus chairman Larry Taylor said 70 out of 101 Republican House members chose Straus in a non-binding vote Monday. The official vote will take place Tuesday when the legislative session opens and Democrats also have a chance to cast a ballot.
Straus, a San Antonio Republican, needs only 76 votes to keep his job and will likely be re-elected.
The Texas speaker is one of the most powerful jobs in state politics, deciding what bills get a chance to pass.
Tea party and conservative activists oppose Straus and were hoping the caucus would provide the momentum to oust him.
Coats For Dallas Homeless
The "Soup Man" in Dallas will hand out coats, hats, gloves and blankets to the homeless tonight.
Temperatures are expected in the low 20's, with wind chills around 15 degrees.
David Timothy runs the SoupMobile that's provided meals for the homeless for eight years.
Timothy: In Dallas, its estimated there are more than ten thousand homeless but there's only two thousand shelter beds. So, simply math tells us there's not going to be enough room in the Inn tonight.
The 2010 Dallas Homeless Census put the number at more than "six" thousand - a slight increase from 2009.
Tonight, the SoupMobile will visit South Dallas freeway underpasses where the homeless camp out. Timothy says each year the SoupMobile begins collecting coats and hats in November, and tonight is the first give-away.
Heart group: Require students to get CPR training
The American Heart Association wants all students to know how to do CPR and use a defibrillator by the time they graduate from high school.
In an advisory released Monday, the heart group says state legislatures should mandate that students know how to perform CPR and how to use an AED, which shocks the heart back into a normal rhythm.
The heart group said at least 36 states either require the training or at least encourage it.
At Shaker Heights High School in suburban Cleveland, ninth-graders learn the life-saving skills as part of their physical education class. Teacher Stuart Gilbert says they're at a perfect age because they're starting to babysit and take other jobs that require the skills, like lifeguarding.