Spending the Surplus?
What to know: Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar says Texas will have $362.2 billion to spend in the next biennium, including a $24 billion surplus.
The TPPF take: Texas’ robust revenue outlook is the product of conservative fiscal management and a firm understanding of the importance of free-market economic principles.
“Texas’ leadership clearly understands that when government is small, the opportunities are endless,” says TPPF’s Greg Sindelar. “This session, state lawmakers have an opportunity to build on this successful framework by passing a balanced budget that spends no more than population growth and inflation, limits total spending to only what’s needed, and prioritizes taxpayers above all else.”
For more on the comptroller’s revenue estimate, click here.
Guaranteed Income Scheme
What to know: Harris County’s controversial “guaranteed income” scheme, Uplift Houston, has been halted over questions about its constitutionality.
The TPPF take: Giving away other people’s money for no reason is unconstitutional.
“Texas counties lack any constitutional or statutory authority to create publicly-funded guaranteed income programs, as rightly argued by the Texas Attorney General’s office. It’s not allowed—period,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “However, Harris County’s obstinance should remind us that new laws are needed to strengthen the Constitution’s gift clause and add unmistakable clarity to statute.”
For more on guaranteed income, watch this.
DEI
What to know: McDonald’s has ditched its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
The TPPF take: McDonald’s is refocusing on what’s good for customers and for its bottom line.
“As companies abandon DEI, which research shows has failed to provide any positive benefit, the big losers are the multi-billion dollar DEI industry and extortion groups like the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index which forces companies to follow policies based on racial and sexual identity,” says TPPF’s Sherry Sylvester. “It took a long time for the phony ideology of DEI to become embedded in our culture and it is going to take a long time to weed it out—but Americans don’t like it and it is time for DEI to go.”
For more on DEI, click here.