The passing of HB 14 (2023) in the 88th Texas Legislature has led to reduced wait times for construction permits. For example, a November 2024 memorandum from the City of Dallas stated, “the October 2024 median issuance time for New Construction Commercial Permits dropped to 112 days, the lowest median time of 2024 and one of the lowest since 2021” (Letter from Robin Bentley, 2024). It is on the success of HB 14 that in the 89th Texas Legislature, Senate Bill 1450 (2025) has been filed to ensure that the legislative intent of the previous session is fully expressed.
Toward a More Well-Informed Citizenry
The 86th Texas Legislature sought to enhance public debt transparency through the creation of Voter Information Documents (VID). However, this instrument is not accurately providing debt amounts and needs reform. Key points: Governments are manipulating the VID methodology to deny voters accurate tax impact estimates. Many VIDs are dissimilar, making comparative analysis challenging. There is...