Update at 3:05 p.m., June 5, 2019: Revised to note Hegar's certification of the budget. Update at 7:04 p.m., May 26: Revised to include final action by Senate.

AUSTIN -- After Democrats strenuously complained, lawmakers in both chambers on May 26 killed a plan to spend $100 million to pay for surge operations at the U.S.-Mexico border this summer.

The abrupt about-face removed the only remaining obstacle to final passage of a two-year, $250.7 billion state budget. On June 5, Comptroller Glenn Hegar certified Texas should have enough revenue in the 2020-2021 cycle to pay for House Bill 1, the general appropriations act. Now it goes to Gov. Greg Abbott, who has line-item veto power over one bill, the budget.

In a carefully orchestrated stand-down, GOP chief budget writers, starting in the Senate, nonchalantly won approval of a correcting resolution that erased the proposed drawdown of $100 million of rainy day dollars for "surge operations necessary to secure the border."

Abbott's office "is where this emanated from," House Appropriations Committee Chairman John Zerwas told his colleagues. They approved the correcting resolution 146-1. The Senate endorsed it 31-0.

"It looked like it could be a bit redundant," said Zerwas, referring to about $800 million the state already spends every two years for enhanced law enforcement at the border.

He said that after talks with his Senate counterpart, Flower Mound Republican Jane Nelson, Speaker Dennis Bonnen, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Abbott, "We were all in harmony saying, 'Let's take that out, that doesn't need to be there.'"

The resolution yanked from Senate Bill 500, a $9.9 billion emergency or "supplemental" spending bill, a late-hour provision known as "Section 6," which apparently would have been for federal National Guard operations.

The now-stricken provision says legislators expected Abbott's office to work with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to obtain federal reimbursement. If the reimbursement came through, the rainy day fund would be replenished, the provision stated.

On Sunday, as Democratic senators who opposed the provision sat mute, Nelson opaquely described the decision to reverse course.

Her resolution's language removing the money read: "Strike SECTION 6 of the bill, making an appropriation to the Trusteed Programs Within the Office of the Governor for surge operations (page 3)."

Nelson said only this of the border surge money: "It repeals Section 6, and I move we adopt the resolution."

But there were indications GOP state leaders neither cared deeply about the Abbott proviso nor wanted to mar what's been an unusually harmonious session with angry speeches by minority-party Democrats.

After The Dallas Morning News late Saturday disclosed the Abbott funding initiative, members of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus held a lengthy meeting with Abbott chief of staff Luis Saenz in an office off the House floor. Bonnen, R-Angleton, and Zerwas attended portions of the huddle.

Saenz and some other participants declined to be interviewed as they left, though House Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Oscar Longoria, D-Mission, said he was told the money would go for federal National Guard. Longoria said he was also told that Abbott's aides say federal officials have told them to expect the federal reimbursement. Bonnen and Abbott spokesmen did not respond to requests for information about the proviso.

On Sunday, House Democrats who have spent years criticizing state spending on enhanced border enforcement refrained from criticizing Abbott's move.

However, they inserted a statement in the House journal stressing that their support for SB 500 didn't extend to the additional $100 million for border security.

In an interview, Longoria said Democrats, though wary, did not want to assign bad motives to the Abbott administration.

However, "even if there were good intentions, it didn't look right," he said of the proviso. "It should've been fleshed out during the session."

In the Senate's brief debate, Edgewood Republican Bob Hall, a tea party-backed supporter of tougher border enforcement, said he was "not sure that taking it out of the [rainy day fund] was the right way."

In the House, Arlington Republican Tony Tinderholt closely questioned Zerwas, to dispel any suggestion that $806.1 million of state spending on border security was being reduced by $100 million.

"This absolutely is not taking from that," Zerwas said.

Rep. Rafael Anchia, a Dallas Democrat who is chairman of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, commended the "Big 3" GOP leaders' decision to remove the money.

"All the discussions have been very productive and very collaborative," he said.

Earlier this session, Anchia and members of his caucus sought unsuccessfully to pass budget language that would force the Department of Public Safety to provide information on state border spending, using "measurable outcomes."

House Bill 1, the two-year state budget, which the House passed 148-1, would continue the state's own border security operations, involving mostly DPS troopers and Texas Rangers but also Texas guardsmen, game wardens and alcoholic beverage control special agents.

Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, cast the only "nay" vote against the budget.

Late Sunday, the Senate unanimously passed the budget.

It would spend just under $11.6 billion more than the state's current spending on public schools, with $5 billion of that going to trim school property taxes.

A separate school finance overhaul bill, already sent to Abbott, requires school districts to use 30% of the new money they receive under the bill for pay raises.

"This has been an historic session for teachers, which makes me very happy," said Nelson, a former teacher.

In the House, Higher Education Committee Chairman Chris Turner of Grand Prairie lamented that the budget has no money for tuition revenue bonds. Campuses use them to improve their buildings. Also, Appropriations member Donna Howard, D-Austin, said it pains her that there's no across-the-board pay bump for the 145,000 state agency employees.

Zerwas responded that on both fronts, he hopes lawmakers can do better next session.

Staff writer W. Gardner Selby in Austin contributed to this report.