Guard the Gains
What to know: Following the erosion of last session’s tax relief, many state lawmakers today are “proposing a host of ideas to make it tougher for local governments to borrow money” and raise taxes. The goal is to protect state-directed tax relief from greedy local governments.
The TPPF take: Tax relief should benefit taxpayers, not tax-spenders.
“This session, we must stop greedy local governments from stealing our tax relief through aggressive rate hikes, frequent bond elections, and the over-utilization of certificates of obligation. It’s time to put a stop to this rampant fiscal recklessness,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “Everything should be on the table, from tightening the property tax revenue limit to instituting a debt limit to imposing a spending limit. Let’s get this problem under control.”
For more on local debt, click here.
Doctor Shortage
What to know: Congress created the ongoing physician shortage. In 1997, training was capped, and that cap has never been lifted.
The TPPF take: Texas has the opportunity to help address the physician shortage.
“Rather than wait on Congress to provide more general medical education (GME) appropriations, at least eight states, including Tennessee, Florida, Virginia, and Idaho, have decided to tackle the residency bottleneck through reforming licensing pathways,” says TPPF’s Nicholas Armstrong. “States are starting to allow talented foreign-licensed doctors to prove their merit, and if eligible be allowed to omit the U.S. based residency requirement—and Texas should be up next.”
For more on the doctor shortage, click here.
The Arena
What to know: The Texas Senate has passed its budget unanimously; now, it’s up to the House.
The TPPF take: Texas state Rep. Greg Bonnen, MD, chairs the House Appropriations Committee. He stopped in to talk with Greg Sindelar about the appropriations process.
“Early on I decided I wanted to work on the budget,” Bonnen explained on The Arena. “Part of my rationale was that the budget touches virtually every aspect of what we do. It gives you the broadest picture of state government.”
To watch Rep. Bonnen’s interview on The Arena, click here.