State Capitol Highlights

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By Ed Sterling TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION

Cruz ends campaign, Perry endorses Trump for president

 

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, suspended his presidential campaign May 3 after losing Indiana’s GOP presidential primary to frontrunner Donald Trump of New York. 

The Indiana loss mathematically eliminated Cruz from achieving the necessary delegate count to gain the nomination at the Republican Party National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, July 18-21.

On May 6, Rick Perry, Texas’ former and longest-serving governor (December 2000 to January 2015) endorsed Trump for president. Perry, who dropped out of the GOP presidential primaries in 2012 and 2015, also signaled his availability as a vice presidential running mate for Trump.

Cruz, who served as solicitor general under then-Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012.

 

Revenue total increases

State sales tax revenue in April totaled $2.38 billion, up 3 percent compared to April 2015, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced May 3.

However, Hegar said, “As expected, receipts from oil- and gas-related sectors continued to fall due to the ongoing decline in drilling activity.” And, he added, total sales tax revenue for the three months ending in April 2016 was down 0.8 percent compared to the same period a year ago. 

For the month of April, Texas collected the following revenue from those taxes: 

- Motor vehicle sales and rental taxes, $250 million, down 31.9 percent from April 2015;

- Motor fuel taxes, $302.9 million, up 3.2 percent from April 2015; and

- Oil and natural gas production taxes, $147 million, down 36.1 percent from April 2015.

According to the comptroller’s office, sales tax revenue is the largest source of state funding for the state budget, accounting for 56 percent of all tax collections, and motor vehicle sales and rental taxes, motor fuel taxes and oil and natural gas production taxes also are large revenue sources for the state.

 

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