Texas’ Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF) acts as a rainy day fund to cover state government budget shortfalls during economic downturns or emergencies and is often used for other purposes. The ESF’s shortcomings include it being rather easily raided for purposes other than covering budget shortfalls and stockpiling of taxpayer dollars in the fund. Legislators should raise the threshold vote to use the ESF for nonemergency purposes to four-fifths of each chamber, and consider lowering the cap and allocating funds above the cap to return to taxpayers or pay state liabilities. Read the full policy perspective below.
Local Government
Austin ISD’s Budget Narrative Contradicted by Administrative Excess
By its own account, “Austin ISD is navigating a difficult budget season,” with district officials recently approving a 2026-27 budget containing “nearly $186 million in spending reductions.” What led to this unfortunate occasion was almost entirely out of the district’s control, according to the sitting superintendent. Last month, he publicly stated: “Over the past seven years, Austin ISD has...
July 15, 2026