Friday’s House calendar features HB 2785 by Rep. Ken Paxton, which would cut school property tax rates by an additional nine cents on top of the 50 cents passed during last year’s special session.The Foundation testified in favor of this bill when it was in front of the House Public Education Committee. Earlier this week, the Foundation circulated longer-term budget projections that showed not only that Texas will have a multi-billion dollar cash balance after passing HB 2785 and HB 735 (the repeal of the TIF phone tax), but that the Legislature would return in 2009 to an even larger cash balance than it will finish this session if it doesn’t.Byron Schlomach and Talmadge Heflin are also explaining this issue to talk radio audiences across the state. Yesterday, Heflin appeared on KSEV-AM in Houston, KFYO-AM in Lubbock, and KURV-AM in Edinburg. Today, Schlomach will appear on BizRadio (1320 AM in Houston, 1360 AM in Dallas) at 7:20 a.m., and on the Lynn Woolley Show (www.BeLogical.com) at 9:30 a.m; Heflin will be on KWEL-AM in Midland at 7:30 a.m., and on KRLD-AM in the Metroplex at 2:07 p.m.
Taxes & Spending
Austin’s rising utility fees are taxes by another name
Rising utility bills are one of many factors exacerbating Austin’s well-documented affordability crisis. When Austin utility bills went up last winter, many residents probably didn’t even notice — mostly because the increase in fees was hidden by reductions in other costs. But here’s the truth: The city of Austin is squeezing its customers more than they know....
April 2, 2026