The Texas Senate’s chief budget writer said state agencies and higher education institutions have requested nearly $25 billion in funding as the legislative session gets underway. State Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, told The Dallas Morning News that the requests for new money reflect the growing functions and purposes of state agencies that serve the public.“As the state continues to grow and inflation remains an issue, one can expect that agencies may request additional funding to maintain operations,” Huffman said in an email. The requests are predominantly for pay raises and new hires as state agencies deal with high turnover and ...