Ornate architecture in the rotunda at the Texas State Capital Building in Austin (Seguin) — State lawmakers are facing a significant budget shortfall this year. How to overcome a decline in revenues will be one of the key issues facing the new legislative session that begins today in Austin. The budget shortfall is approximately one billion dollars. That’s a big number, but the Biennial Revenue Estimate (BRE) — released on Monday by State Comptroller Glenn Hegar — is actually much better than what most state lawmakers had expected. State Representative John Kuempel, in a recent interview with KWED Radio and the Seguin Daily News, said they could have potentially seen double digit shortfalls this year.