Liberty is a guiding principle for the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Protecting the pursuit of liberty and other constitutional freedoms is a critical mission for our nation’s peace officers. But many outside the ranks assert confidence of the police in this role has fallen. Militarization, lack of transparency, and over-criminalization often surface as contributing to distrust.
Local Government
When Government Lobbies Itself: Why Texas Should Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying
Texas local governments use taxpayer dollars to hire lobbyists to influence state legislation—creating conflicts of interest, distorting democratic accountability, and undermining the interests of Texas taxpayers. Key points: Taxpayer-funded lobbying expenditures more than doubled from the 85th to the 89th Legislature, now reaching as high as $111.5 million. Taxpayer-funded lobbyists consistently opposed legislation involving property...
April 6, 2026