Over the course of several decades, more than one dozen local retirement systems have successfully petitioned the Legislature to establish some or all of their pension plans in state law. Commonly codified plan elements include: contribution rates, benefit levels, and board composition. By securing their provisions in state law, this select group of state-governed systems has erected a major obstacle to community-driven reform and effectively cemented a series of unsustainable practices.
Higher Education
Safe Schools and Fair Standards
Safe Schools and Fair Standards Key points: Texas’s higher education code is not aligned with Supreme Court precedent on the correct standards for defining harassment. Texas statute does not define what makes conduct “severe,” “persistent,” or “pervasive.” The existing legal framework should remain intact but needs updated definitions that protect both free speech and students...
September 28, 2026