The restoration of local control can allow for fiscally healthy retirement plans for hard-working Texans.

James Quintero is the policy director for the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Government for the People campaign. Since joining the Foundation in 2008, Quintero has focused extensively on: state & local government spending, taxes, debt, public pension reform, annexation, and local regulations.
The restoration of local control can allow for fiscally healthy retirement plans for hard-working Texans.

Sometimes I forget how remarkable my mother is. She holds two degrees in different fields, built a successful professional career, and then, by choice, became a homeschool mom to me and my three siblings until we each left for college. Without her attention and dedication, I would not be who I am today. She patiently...
Every even-numbered year, the state’s Legislative Budget Board (LBB) publishes a helpful, user-friendly summation of the General Appropriations Act (GAA), otherwise known as the state’s two-year budget. On Wednesday, the LBB published the next iteration—its 2024-25 Fiscal Size-Up. From a 30,000 ft. level, this new report provides “a comprehensive review of how tax dollars were...
School bonds are one of the main instruments contributing to Texas’s local government debt, which is currently over half a trillion dollars. Key points: As of 2026, school bond debt in Texas is over $236 billion. In May of 2023, Texas passed 79% of the 245 bond proposals put on the ballot, costing taxpayers $22.9...