AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - State lawmakers are finally learning how much money they'll have to spend on the next Texas budget.

Republican Comptroller Susan Combs is releasing her biennial revenue estimate on Monday. That crucial number sets the limit on what lawmakers can spend for 2014 and 2015, and some budget observers expect Combs to announce a surplus that could exceed $8 billion.

That's because the Texas economy is humming again after lawmakers in 2011 slashed spending as the nation lurched out of the Great Recession. Unemployment in the state was the highest in a decade and the Legislature faced a $27 billion shortfall.

Democrats want deep cuts to public education and social services restored when a new session begins Tuesday. But Republican leaders are already vowing to hold the line on spending.