Testimony before the Senate Criminal Justice Committee

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Testimony by the Foundation’s Center for Effective Justice on prescription drug abuse prevention and intervention reforms.

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Hijacked: How the Bond Process is Being Used Against Taxpayers

School bonds are one of the main instruments contributing to Texas’s local government debt, which is currently over half a trillion dollars. Key points: As of 2026, school bond debt in Texas is over $236 billion. In May of 2023, Texas passed 79% of the 245 bond proposals put on the ballot, costing taxpayers $22.9...

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FACT SHEET: Understanding Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying Taxpayer-funded lobbying (TFL) is a complex and unfortunate feature of state and local governance. While lobbying is typically associated with private interest groups attempting to influence government decisions, taxpayer-funded lobbying flips this model: it involves government entities themselves using public funds to influence legislative outcomes. The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s...

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Chairman Hefner, Vice Chairman Lopez and honorable members of the committee, My name is Ammon Blair, I am a Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and I am testifying in support of Senate Bill 36. My background includes being a former U.S. Border Patrol Agent who served in the Rio Grande Valley Sector....

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