Election Integrity
What to know: The Texas House has announced it will hear HB 6 on the House Floor today (Thursday, May 6). This bill would improve the security of and trust in our elections.
The TPPF take: Congressman Chip Roy, in a memo obtained by The Cannon Online, documents incidents of voter fraud—and explains how to address the issue.
“Voter fraud is real and failure of the states to better secure future elections will only serve to undermine public confidence in the ballot box, which is a cornerstone of representative government,” Roy writes. “At the very least, every state in the union should adopt limited absentee ballot use with same day voting requirements and no-excuse ID requirements that allow no room for fraudulent voting.”
For more on voter fraud in Texas, click here.
Yes, We Can!
What to know: The Texas Attorney General has sued the federal government over a condition included in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which says that “in order to receive the funds states cannot use them to ‘directly or indirectly’ offset tax revenue by cutting taxes.”
The TPPF take: Texas must be careful in how—or even if—it spends these funds.
“Given ARPA’s restrictions and requirements for using the funds that could create fiscal cliffs in subsequent sessions, Texas should strongly consider rejecting some or all funds,” says TPPF’s Vance Ginn. “But if the state is going to accept these funds, the best approach would be to follow a pro-growth, long-term strategy to provide relief to Texans from the struggles imposed by COVID-19 and shutdowns.”
For more on ARPA funds, click here.
The Voters Have Spoken
What to know: Austin voters have reinstated a ban on homeless public camping, in a landslide election.
The TPPF take: Now, Austin must rethink its “Housing First” approach to homelessness.
“Austin’s failed ‘Housing First’ approach specifically denies funding and support for homelessness agencies and ministries that require people to address their underlying issues,” explains TPPF Senior Fellow Michele Steeb. “What’s needed is a ‘People First’ approach that supports people in addressing the root causes of their homelessness.”
For more on homelessness, click here.