First of all... mind your own business.

A big discussion Monday night at Cy-Fair ISD as the board is considering drastic measures to balance the budget.

If bills now being considered pass, lawmakers will be left with $3.3 billion to take care of unforeseen costs over the next two years. Some experts worry that Texas can’t sustain its massive spending on the border and public education.

Harris County Commissioners Court passed the FY24 budget, which includes $2.4 billion for the County’s general fund, $128 million for the Harris County Flood Control District, and $888 million for the Harris County Hospital District.

Lawmakers this year didn’t approve extra money to help schools pay for raises despite having an unprecedented $32 billion surplus — even after Gov. Greg Abbott commissioned a task force last year to improve teacher pay and retention.

Spring Branch ISD will hold a board meeting Monday to discuss the district’s budget issues.

The proposal for the 2024-25 budget cycle includes $142.1 billion in general revenue spending — about $5 billion higher than the proposal approved last week by the Texas House — at a time when lawmakers have a historic $32.7 billion surplus at their disposal this session.

After a marathon debate, the bill will head to the Senate, where lawmakers have been crafting their own version of the spending plan.

House Bill 1 is being debated on the floor of the lower chamber, where representatives are hammering out details on the next two years of state spending.

The proposal recommends spending billions on programs including property tax cuts, teacher pay raises, mental health services and border security. It leaves out requests for pay raises for retired state employees and funding for rent relief and childcare programs.

If Texas’ budget surplus were distributed directly to Texans, it could pay for 12 years of school lunches, seven months of rent or 11,000 miles of travel. Here’s how to put the big number into perspective.

Abbott’s spending proposals also include spending $750 million on school safety and mental health services and expanding postpartum Medicaid to a year.

Community colleges want a funding overhaul this legislative session, and four-year universities are hoping for a boost in research funds. Meanwhile, faculty are bracing for a potential threat to tenure and limits to conversations about race.

The leaders of the state’s six biggest university systems are seeking the money to fund instruction, university operations and employee health insurance and to cover a free tuition program for veterans and their children.

Lawmakers begin work today for their biennial legislative session. They’ll debate over the state budget, school issues, border security and property taxes, among other issues.

It’s far more money than legislators have ever had at their disposal, with an increase in available funds that dwarfs any previous jumps between cycles. It’s also more money than lawmakers can constitutionally spend.

Texas homeowners have some of the highest property tax bills in the nation, a byproduct of the state’s reliance on such taxes to help pay for public schools and the state’s lack of an income tax.

Harris County commissioners are set to attend a special meeting at 2 p.m. Monday.

Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia will present a new compromise proposal Friday in hopes of moving the county budget forward.

The impasse over the Harris County budget continued Tuesday with Republican commissioners skipping a meeting for a third time in a row, blocking the Democratic majority commissioners court from adopting a new proposed tax rate.

The standoff over the Harris County tax rate and budget continued Tuesday with the county commission’s two Republican members skipping a vote on the matter for a second time.

In an attempt to pass a budget for Harris County, Judge Lina Hidalgo said she is considering “any and all action” that would bring commissioners into Commissioners Court to allow a vote that she said would fund the budget.

Local governments in Texas have spent the summer preparing their budgets for next year, wrestling with inflation and a law that prohibits them from raising property tax revenues beyond 3.5% without voter approval.

The Harris County Office of Management and Budget released its proposed budget for fiscal year 2022-2023 on Monday.

In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Mitchell and Patrick about the power grid, the race for governor and the extra money the Texas Legislature will have on hand to spend next year.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had asked House leaders to support his push for arming school police officers with bulletproof shields after the Uvalde shooting. House Speaker Dade Phelan is also asking for more money for mental health and school safety programs.

The Harris County District Attorney's office has dismissed a charge against a woman accused of stealing a rental car.

Hegar will also talk about how to keep Texas business-friendly and what another wave of COVID-19 could mean for the state budget.

Gov. Greg Abbott said Texas was stepping up to do the federal government’s job after Biden’s immigration policies had “opened the floodgates” to illegal immigration and crime.

The Flower Mound lawmaker is the most senior Republican in the upper chamber and has served as its top budget writer for the past four sessions.

Of course, it depends on when you book and how savvy you are at tracking airfare deals, but scoring a great deal on a flight these days certainly isn’t impossible.

Gov. Greg Abbott pledged $250 million in state funds for a Texas-Mexico border wall and is soliciting donations to fund the rest.

The governor suggested more details would be released next week. The announcement Thursday of several initiatives is the latest in an ongoing conflict between Abbott, a Republican, and Democratic President Joe Biden's administration.

Mayor Turner and Houston’s City Council announced on Wednesday that the proposed $5.1 billion FY 2022 operating budget was passed.

Abbott has the power to veto individual line items he objects to.

Abbott already planned to call a special session later in the year for the Legislature to do its decennial redrawing of Texas political maps.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner presented the proposed budget for the 2022 fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Shop, save, and help others in need. Here's a sign THAT life is getting back to normal: The Salvation Army's Chic Boutique is back this week! You can score designer duds at major discounts at this pop-up charity sale. Volunteers collect and curate the best donations all year.

These four baby steps will help you begin to get a handle on your finances for the new year. You can get a free credit report every week through April here. Step 2: Audit your subscriptionsFrom streaming services to clothing, look for recurring monthly fees to your bank account or credit card. Step 3: Check the interest rates on your credit cards and accountsCan you get a lower interest rate or a no-interest balance transfer for your credit card debt? After it expires, credit card companies usually jack up your interest rate.

HOUSTON – The Houston Independent School District board will consider approving a $41 million budget amendment on Thursday afternoon. District officials said an additional $17 million for special education has also been under consideration since August. Funding from local agenciesThe board of trustees is scheduled to vote on accepting a total of $2.3 million. Providing out-of-school activities for Chavez High School students such as academic enrichment, fitness, counseling programs, art, music, technology and character education programs. Additional funds will also be considered for construction on Riceville School Road for Lamar High School and $3.1 million for a new sports field and auditorium upgrades at Booker T. Washington High School, according to a press release.

HOUSTON – There is a $169 million budget gap in the city of Houston’s budget for the next fiscal year, according to the numbers Mayor Sylvester Turner released on Tuesday. The city is reeling from the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic and local leaders are not sugar-coating it. City leaders said they need to make drastic cuts, which means thousands of city employees are facing the possibility that they could be furloughed. Turner said he will try to secure more funding to save those jobs by using federal money. “I’ve asked Chief Pena with the fire department and Chief Acevedo and others to take a look at where their employees were used specifically for COVID purposes.

Have you ever seen this quote floating around the internet? “Impossible only means you haven’t found the solution yet.”

The money pay is supposed to help you out until you can get another job. "‘This is where we can cut.’ Do that as part of a severance package. “Once you leave the company, you’re going to have an expiration date on those options,” Rosso said. Fund your healthcare savings accountLastly, if you haven’t funded your healthcare savings account, consider using some of your severance pay to do that. He has more ideas to consider if you are risk of getting a severance package here.

Go Texan Day is this Friday, and RodeoHouston starts on Feb. 28. It’s time to dig through your closet or go shopping. You want buckles, boots, and bling, but you don’t want to spend big bucks. Consumer expert Amy Davis is sharing her go-to retailers to get Rodeo-ready on a budget.

After a marathon 17-plus hour debate that started just after noon last Tuesday, the House finally gave its preliminary nod to its version of the state budget, so we start this week's playlist of the week’s news with “For the Love of Money” by The O’Jays.