Last week, the Senate Finance Committee began groundwork for its budget-writing duties with public hearings on four consecutive days.

Led by Chairwoman Jane Nelson, R-Grapevine, the 15-member panel heard testimony from the offices of the governor, comptroller and attorney general. Input also was received on state pension funds, courts and payments on state debt. Currently, the budget is an estimated $4.5 billion for all of those “general government” functions and an increase of $200 million has been proposed for 2016-2017.

The panel also received testimony on the state government’s fraud and corruption investigation body that for three decades has been a division of the Travis County District Attorney’s Office. Then-Gov. Rick Perry’s veto of the Public Integrity Unit’s funding in 2013 is the subject of ongoing court action. Nelson said no funding for the unit had yet been placed in the budget.

Meanwhile, in the Senate Transportation Committee, Chairman Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, said voters could decide via constitutional amendment whether to set aside revenue from the state motor vehicle sales tax as a longterm way to fund road and bridge maintenance and construction overseen by the Texas Department of Transportation. Such revenue could amount to more than $2 billion a year, he said.

Ed Sterling works for the Texas Press Association and follows the Legislature for the organization.

edsterling@texaspress.com