The Legislative Budget Board declared in early 2008 that Texas taxpayers would no longer be handcuffed with a billion dollars of new prisons. However, Texans need not worry that they are saving money by opening the floodgates for violent offenders. The hard reality is that Texas is not going “soft on crime,” but it is getting smarter.
Austin’s Simple Fix for Soaring Housing Costs
After years of watching home prices skyrocket out of reach for first responders, nurses, and young families, in December 2023, Austin city council voted to rewrite its zoning code. The first phase of its HOME Initiative—known as HOME-1—effectively allowed up to three homes on most lots that previously could host only one. A year later,...