Due to price-fixing by the state, title insurance in Texas costs $2,663 for a $300,000 home, the fifth highest cost in the nation; $703 above the median price of states with lower prices. 84% of the cost goes for expenses and profit.
The Conservative Texas Budget (CTB) is one where biennial appropriations (General Appropriations Act and supplemental appropriations, when available) of state funds (excludes federal funds) and all funds—the footprint of government—increase by no more than population growth plus inflation. The 2016-17 CTB limits are $142.3 billion in state funds and $215.2 billion in all funds. This...
Have you heard about the Austin Water Utility spending $1,200 per click for online ads? Two weeks ago, the Austin American-Statesman reported that a city employee “approved online advertisements to Austin Water customers with a marketing company totaling $67,000 between 2013 and 2016. That netted redirects from the company’s website only 55 times—at a cost-per-click...
Over the years, a number of different local retirement systems have lobbied the legislature to put some or all of their pension plans in state law. By locking in certain elements of their plan in statute, these systems have all but locked-out community stakeholders, at least those without the right political connection in Austin. But...
Gov. Abbott Calls for Local Debt Transparency Local government debt continues to soar. According to the Bond Review Board’s latest estimates, cities, counties, school districts, and special districts owe a cumulative $342 billion, or roughly $12,450 for every man, woman, and child in the Lone Star State. One of the major drivers of the...
If local governments want to tax excessively, then the onus should be on them to ask the public for permission.
In short, things are getting worse on the student loan front—and have been for some time; something we would and should have known earlier, had it not been for the federal government’s “technical programming error.” For my part, I will not question the veracity of the prior administration’s claims. I will wait patiently for the Department of Education to heed the GAO’s admonition to clean up its books.
If we want to ensure that every one of our Texas schoolchildren has the opportunity to flourish, then we need to innovate beyond the antiquated method of conveyor-belt education, where children become “products,” and where parental freedom is quashed by “the system.”
For years, local officials have used the opacity and complexity of the property tax system to hide or dismiss claims of soaring tax bills. Oftentimes, this misdirection employs some blend of legalistic wording, repetitive messaging, and a biased handling of appraisals, tax rates, and exemptions. Having watched this shell game unfold time and again without...
I hear Texans wanting alternatives, wanting education freedom and looking forward to the innovation that will bring to education. We cannot wait to give students and families education options. The time to pass school choice in Texas is now.
How can the CBO calculate the effects of repeal and replace when the plans for repeal and replace have not yet been announced? They can’t.