Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell emphasized during last year's campaign that state budgets are moral documents. He was basically right. Legislators make choices that affect our children, safety and health care.

This year, we've tracked several parts of this moral responsibility. From our perspective, here's what the Texas House and Senate have done right with their budgets – and what each chamber should accept from the other. Here's also what both chambers should improve as budget writers reconcile the chambers' differences:

Funding the Children's Health Insurance Program: The House liberalized CHIP rules so more eligible children could receive coverage. With about 20 percent of Texas children lacking insurance, the Senate will stretch morality not to concur.

Treating prisoners' drug habits: The more the state can curb inmates' drug appetites, the more it can stop offenders from returning to prison. Both the House and Senate finance treatment beds, but the Senate is also pushing for three more prisons. Take that money and add more treatment slots, and we'll have the answer.

Dropout money for high schools: Unlike the Senate, the House adds money to the pool set up in last year's school finance session to keep adolescents from leaving school. Kinky Friedman's "why the hell not?" line rings in our ears on this one.

Settling a longstanding Medicaid lawsuit: Senators added money to settle the suit, including funds to pay doctors more for treating Medicaid patients so needy families receive care. The House didn't include money for the suit, which the state is right to settle so it can start helping more families.

Reducing waiting lists for home-based care: The Senate invests more to cut waiting lists for seniors and the disabled to receive medical services at home. Home care eventually may reduce Texas' nursing home expenses.

Invest the remaining surplus now: Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst wants to save the remaining $3 billion to finance the round of property tax cuts that begins in 2009. But that's two years away, the state has genuine human capital needs now, and both chambers already have set aside $6 billion for property tax reductions between now and 2009.

Boost financial aid for college students. Both increase spending for college students. But a bigger boost would get more kids in the college pipeline.

Double the number of state workers who are trying to get children out of bad homes. Each chamber proposes more Child Protective Service investigators, but doubling the numbers would allow CPS to save more children from abusive parents and bad foster care situations.

The surplus is the best way to pay for these extras. If not that, we've previously suggested cuts in programs like funds for private universities. Texas has many legitimate priorities, but morality demands we spend wisely to help the neediest among us.