Members of the Texas House and Senate are now considering legislation to change the Permanent School Fund. Three proposed constitutional amendments, if adopted, would change who makes decisions about the fund, what the spending policy is and would expand the beneficiaries of the fund.
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...