The restoration of local control can allow for fiscally healthy retirement plans for hard-working Texans.

James Quintero is the policy director for the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Government for the People campaign. Since joining the Foundation in 2008, Quintero has focused extensively on: state & local government spending, taxes, debt, public pension reform, annexation, and local regulations.
The restoration of local control can allow for fiscally healthy retirement plans for hard-working Texans.

The 45th Legislature established the Texas Local Fire Fighters Retirement Act (TLFFRA) in 1937 to create local retirement systems for the benefit of full-time, part-time, and volunteer firefighters in participating cities. At the time, lawmakers intended to create a general governance structure while still “leav[ing] administration, plan design, contributions, and specific investments to each system’s...
Every even-numbered year, the state’s Legislative Budget Board (LBB) publishes a helpful, user-friendly summation of the General Appropriations Act (GAA), otherwise known as the state’s two-year budget. On Wednesday, the LBB published the next iteration—its 2024-25 Fiscal Size-Up. From a 30,000 ft. level, this new report provides “a comprehensive review of how tax dollars were...
Many city, county, and school district officials are right now deciding where to set tax rates for the next fiscal year. In some cases, these local decisions will push property taxes higher, creating new challenges for families struggling with affordability. Given the very real prospect of tax hikes on the horizon, now is the time...