2007 Legislative Briefing on Criminal Justice

May 11, 2007

Marc Levin, J.D.

Marc A. Levin is the Chief Policy Counsel at the Council on Criminal Justice and Senior Advisor to Right on Crime.

Texas Gave Cities a Tool for More Housing Affordability. Some Are Throwing It Away.

Housing affordability is one of the Lone Star State’s – and greater Houston’s – most pressing challenges. Recent estimates suggest Texas’ statewide housing shortage exceeds 300,000 homes, applying upward pressure on rents and prices in ways that squeeze working households, young families, and seniors looking to downsize. The gap is especially severe for first-time homebuyers,...

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Local Government

Growing Pains: The Cost and Contribution of Impact Fees in Texas

Texas’s rapidly growing population requires new infrastructure and improvements, which oftentimes come at great expense. To fund these projects, local officials often impose impact fees on new development—but their use comes at a cost. Key points: Texas is the fastest-growing state in the nation. As such, it has robust infrastructure requirements. To help finance capital...

August 12, 2026

Local Government

Zoning Promised Order, But Delivered Scarcity.

Texas adopted Hoover’s blueprint a century ago. Today, the bill is due in higher prices and lost liberty. Progressive-era policy rears its head in Texas housing. A century after Herbet Hoover put housing under government management, innovation has faltered, consumer choice has dwindled, and costs have exploded. Popular sentiment casts Herbert Hoover as a do-nothing,...

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Marc Levin, J.D.

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Texas Gave Cities a Tool for More Housing Affordability. Some Are Throwing It Away.

Growing Pains: The Cost and Contribution of Impact Fees in Texas

Zoning Promised Order, But Delivered Scarcity.