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.

Texas’s housing market is challenged by supply-side constraints, rooted in restrictive zoning, large-lot mandates, escalating regulatory fees, and runaway property taxation. Key Points: Texas’s housing affordability crisis is supply-driven: a 306,000-home shortfall, falling permits, and a $321,000 median price reflect regulatory barriers blocking construction needed to meet population growth. Government regulation accounts for 23.8% of...
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...
Although there have been many strides taken at the state level to reduce the property tax burden, local governments’ incessant and reckless spending continues to drive up the bill. Key points: In May 2026, Texas voters considered 439 bonds. Of those, 233 were approved. The passage rate for bond propositions for the May 2026 cycle...