Letter to 84th Texas Legislature

June 10, 2015

Letter from Texas Public Policy Foundation President and CEO Brooke Rollins to 84^thTexas Legislature on the passage of a conservative Texas budget.

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Toward a More Well-Informed Citizenry

The 86th Texas Legislature sought to enhance public debt transparency through the creation of Voter Information Documents (VID). However, this instrument is not accurately providing debt amounts and needs reform. Key points: Governments are manipulating the VID methodology to deny voters accurate tax impact estimates. Many VIDs are dissimilar, making comparative analysis challenging. There is...

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The Staggering Amount of New Debt Added in May 2026

On May 2nd, 2026, Texas voters did something astonishing. They approved more new debt in that single afternoon than the entire gross domestic product of the country of Uganda.   The $76.4 billion in new principal debt authorized that day won’t be issued tomorrow; but with voter approval in-hand, local governments now have the go-ahead to borrow more and add onto the $368.3 billion in principal debt already owed. Of course, these totals...

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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

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