Voting Early, Vote Often What to know: In Harris County, voters will see eight separate elections in less than a year. The TPPF take: Uniform election dates are part of TPPF’s Election Integrity Agenda, ahead of the upcoming legislative session. “Texas should require local elections to be consolidated with the November uniform election date,” says TPPF’s Josh Findlay. “This...
Government Secrets What to know: In May, the Austin city council approved “the purchase of new gas generation by a secret vote in executive session,” setting off a firestorm of criticism from open government advocates. In recent years, executive session abuse has become a big and growing problem. The TPPF take: Voting in secret is incompatible with democratic...
Thinking About Tax Hikes What to know: Some San Antonio city councilmembers want to move forward with a big tax increase next year, potentially raising rates from $0.54 per $100/value to nearly $0.58 per $100/value. The proposal caused one city councilmember to respond: “Under no circumstances should we be raising the property tax rate on our citizens right...
Grifting for the Goal What to know: California’s healthcare fraud is far more extensive than officials admit, the Wall Street Journal reports. The TPPF take: California’s healthcare fraud helps to bankroll Democratic politicians, such as LA Mayor Karen Bass. “The left-wing dominance of the Golden State is sustained by a giant pile of cash, much of it out...
A New Digital Divide What to know: U.S. schools are realizing their mistake, “as screens saturate classrooms,” and they’re going back to physical books. The TPPF take: “Ed tech” overpromised and under-delivered. “The amount of time students are spending glued to taxpayer-subsidized screens in the classroom is hard to determine, but one estimate puts it at more than 20%...
Pledging to Protect Taxpayers What to know: A Midlothian ISD trustee recently won re-election and while being sworn in for his new term, made a pledge during his oath of office to: “fight to lower the crushing burden of property taxes that are devastating to countless Midlothian ISD taxpayers.” The TPPF take: More local elected officials should pledge to...
Cheating What to know: A transgender high school student who thinks he’s a girl has swept a track meet in California, where he dominated three jumping events. The TPPF take: We must protect girls’ and women’s sports. “It is illegal in Texas for men and boys to compete in women’s and girls’ sports in both public school and college,...
There’s a Difference What to know: Sen. Ted Cruz says he opposes any new law governing college sports that makes student-athletes into employees of the school. The TPPF take: Student-athletes are not employees. “While we sympathize with the desire to provide certainty and uniformity to student-athletes and universities, and although we see the need for some revenue-sharing framework, workplace...
Water and the Future What to know: Texas’ water future is getting desperate, a Dallas Morning News editorial warns. The TPPF take: Water is crucial to the future of Texas. “Texas’ population will increase 53% between 2030 and 2080 to 52.3 million,” says TPPF’s Larry French. “Over half that population growth will be in the planning regions that include the Dallas-Fort...
Ties to Terror What to know: Texas officials have ordered a Muslim university in Dallas to immediately cease all operations. Texas American Muslim University at Dallas has been offering degree programs without authorization. The TPPF take: It’s worse than that; the “school” has ties to terror. “TexAM’s fiscal sponsor, Mercy Without Limits (MWL), has long been closely involved with...
Hit the Brakes What to know: Attorney General Ken Paxton recently informed 130 different cities “that they are prohibited from raising [property] taxes above the no-new-revenue tax rate,” after determining those entities failed to comply with new state auditing requirements (SB 1851). The TPPF take: City officials don’t get to pick and choose which state laws to follow. “The...
SAVE America What to know: Democrats continue to misrepresent the SAVE Act, which would ensure election integrity with safeguards such as voter ID. The TPPF take: There’s more than one way to SAVE America. “Protecting our sovereignty is more than just funding ICE and border security,” says TPPF’s Byron Fisher. “We must protect our voter rolls and provide tools...