Getting Technical
What to know: Proposition 1 on the November constitutional elections ballot in Texas would secure funding for Texas State Technical College and its 11 campuses.
The TPPF take: TSTC focuses exclusively on technical education, aligning its programs with the demands of Texas’ dynamic economy.
“Texas faces a looming workforce crisis, with projected shortages of 7,000 plumbers, 4,500 HVAC technicians, and 10,000 electricians by 2030,” says TPPF’s Kate Bierly. “In this shifting landscape, the Texas State Technical College System (TSTC) offers a proven solution: technical training that meets the state’s urgent workforce needs and delivers high-paying jobs with minimal debt.”
For more on TSTC, click here.
Bail Reform
What to know: Proposition 3 on the ballot this November would reform bail practices and allow judges to keep violent criminals behind bars.
The TPPF take: Bail reform would save lives.
“Since 2021, at least 162 people in Harris County have been murdered—allegedly by suspects who are out on bond. According to the mayor of Houston, the county’s largest city, more than 900 accused murderers are walking the streets in the Bayou City,” says TPPF’s Robert Henneke. “But Texans will go to the polls in November to decide a constitutional amendment that would keep the worst offenders—those accused of murder, rape and human trafficking—behind bars, if the state can show the defendant is a threat to public safety.”
For more on bail reform, click here.
Parental Rights
What to know: Proposition 15 on the November ballot would affirm that parents are the “ultimate decision-makers when it comes to their children’s upbringing.”
The TPPF take: Currently, the rights of parents are not explicitly written out in the Constitution.
“Courts have long recognized that parents have a constitutionally protected right to make decisions for their children,” says TPPF’s Andrew Brown. “Such a fundamental right deserves a securely codified place in the Texas Constitution to ensure that it is not removed or diminished by future judicial decisions.”
For more on parental rights, click here.