A Commission to Review All Criminal Laws Outside the Penal Code

April 17, 2013

Vikrant Reddy

With over 1,500 crimes listed outside the penal code, Texas criminal law is unwieldy and unjust. HB 2804 proposes a commission to review these offenses and to recommend eliminating them or consolidating them in the penal code.

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Hijacked: How the Bond Process is Being Used Against Taxpayers

School bonds are one of the main instruments contributing to Texas’s local government debt, which is currently over half a trillion dollars. Key points: As of 2026, school bond debt in Texas is over $236 billion. In May of 2023, Texas passed 79% of the 245 bond proposals put on the ballot, costing taxpayers $22.9...

April 7, 2026

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

Criminal Justice

Remembering the ‘why’ behind Raise the Age in North Carolina

At what age should juvenile offenders be tried and treated as adults in North Carolina? What constitutes a juvenile’s actions so irredeemable that they bypass the juvenile system and go straight into adult corrections? As times change and public safety evolves, it is important to reflect on the principles that guide our justice system. One...

April 3, 2024

Vikrant Reddy

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Hijacked: How the Bond Process is Being Used Against Taxpayers

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Remembering the ‘why’ behind Raise the Age in North Carolina