Testimony of Chris Patterson before the SBOE

When Government Lobbies Itself: Why Texas Should Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying

Texas local governments use taxpayer dollars to hire lobbyists to influence state legislation—creating conflicts of interest, distorting democratic accountability, and undermining the interests of Texas taxpayers. Key points: Taxpayer-funded lobbying expenditures more than doubled from the 85th to the 89th Legislature, now reaching as high as $111.5 million. Taxpayer-funded lobbyists consistently opposed legislation involving property...

Meeting Texas Workforce Needs with ESAs

Texas is unique because of its unparalleled dedication to CTE training. Our state, alone, gives schools $3.2 billion as a CTE allotment (three times more than the Federal Government gives to all 50 states), but schools are only required to spend 55% or $1,76 billion of hte allotment on CTE, incentivizing schools to offer cheap...

Is the TASB Risk Fund an ‘Extortive’ Insurance System Rigged Against Texas Taxpayers?

“The risk pool situation in Texas, some would call it extortive,” according to prominent Texas attorney Marc Gravely, founder of Gravely PC and a specialist in high-stakes insurance recovery litigation. Gravely laid out serious legal concerns in a recent podcast surrounding the Texas Association of School Boards’ TASB Risk Fund that should alarm every taxpayer...