evidence: The $321.3 billion spending plan that Texas lawmakers approved for the next two years is balanced and on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk after it was certified Wednesday by the state’s chief financial officer, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar. Before Abbott can review the budget that will direct the state’s spending for the next two years, the comptroller had to certify that the 1,115-page plan doesn’t spend more money than the state expects to bring in. Passing a balanced budget is the only task the Texas Constitution requires of lawmakers during their regular session every two years. [...] "This budget addresses the diverse range of needs in our rapidly expanding state," said Senate Finance Chair Joan Huffman, R-Houston, who helped lead the process with House Appropriations Chair Greg Bonnen, another Houston-area Republican. "With the state experiencing a record-breaking surplus, increasing demands and skyrocketing national inflation, crafting this budget was a challenge because we were obligated to stay under the spending limits and plan for population growth and downturns in the global economy."