House Bill 5019 (2025) proposes several good government reforms to the manner in which an independent school district (ISD) interact with certain organizations. Key changes include prohibiting school districts from contracting with organizations involved in electioneering, political advocacy, or issue advocacy; restricting payroll deductions for professional organization dues, limiting such deductions to entities established or managed by governmental bodies; and mandating that training provided to school employees be approved by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), ensuring that content is not political or activist in nature. The proposed changes aim to maintain the neutrality of educational institutions and prevent the use of public funds for political purposes, which has recently become a source of great concern.
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