Now that the House Democrats have fled to highly gerrymandered states to – checks notes – protest gerrymandering, here’s what’s not getting done during the special session: Catastrophic flood response: Proposals that would provide funding relief for the hill country areas affected by the flooding, improve emergency communications and warning, and address natural disaster preparation and...
Texas cities are reaping a windfall of property tax revenue even though they haven’t grown much in the last decade. One might rightly question why they need all the new money if they are serving roughly the same number of people. My colleague James Quintero recently compiled an analysis of property tax levies, property valuations,...
According to the Bond Review Board’s most recent data, Texas’ local governments have accumulated an eyepopping $500 billion in debt, which is an increase of almost $40 billion from the prior year. That’s almost $16,000 owed for every man, woman, and child in the Lone Star State. Most of this debt comes from school districts,...
The legislative special session begins next week and there are several important issues on the Governor’s call, like property tax reform, bail reform and, of course, responding to the recent flooding tragedy. One issue that shouldn’t go overlooked is banning taxpayer funded lobbying. When the issue first popped up years ago many Texans believed it...
Monday was National Social Media Day. This is one of those random days you’re supposed to celebrate like National Hamburger Day (May 28) or National Dog Day (August 26). That might have been the case 15 years ago when National Social Media Day was created by online tech news outlet Mashable, but today you rarely...
Here they come. The ink from Governor Abbott’s pen is hardly dry on Texas’ $10 billion tax cut and local governments are already scheming to steal your share of that tax cut. For example, Fort Bend ISD just approved a 7-cent property tax rate increase, which district leaders brazenly justify by saying that, well, they’re not going to...
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Tennessee’s law banning the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries on minors does not violate the Constitution. Six of the nine justices disagreed that the law ran afoul of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.. Texas passed its own law prohibiting gender modification on children in...
While the media focuses on the disturbing incidences of rioting and looting in Los Angeles, it is avoiding telling the public the real story behind the headlines. The left wants you to believe the Trump Administration is carrying out random “raids” targeting hard working migrants who simply came to America to pursue a better quality...
Is Texas the best state in the country for parents? If it isn’t yet, it is moving that way. Senate Bill 12, aka the “Parents Bill of Rights” by authors Sen. Brandon Creighton and Rep. Jeff Leach, is a monumental step toward solidifying parental rights and ensuring they have the tools to protect their kids....
You might think that efforts to ensure children cannot access sexually explicit material would be an issue that unites Texans. But unfortunately, that has not been the case in the state legislature. In 2023, Texas passed House Bill 900 which sought to improve standards, strengthen reviews, and give parents some control over what their children...
This morning, by the slimmest of margins, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which includes funding for several key items of President Trump’s agenda. It includes billions of dollars for border security, aggressive deportation efforts, and other national security priorities. States like Texas will receive $12 billion for their...
Local governments across the state are currently holding elections to determine if Texans will approve new debt or not. All told, 258 separate propositions worth over $36 billion will be sent to voters for approval—and possibly more since the Bond Review Board is continually updating their database. If it all passes, the total debt held...