The Texas Title Insurance Tax – Harris County

When Government Lobbies Itself: Why Texas Should Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying

Texas local governments use taxpayer dollars to hire lobbyists to influence state legislation—creating conflicts of interest, distorting democratic accountability, and undermining the interests of Texas taxpayers. Key points: Taxpayer-funded lobbying expenditures more than doubled from the 85th to the 89th Legislature, now reaching as high as $111.5 million. Taxpayer-funded lobbyists consistently opposed legislation involving property...

Heavy Regulation, High Profits, and Wasteful Spending

Texas has the most restrictive regulation of title rates and forms (policies) in the nation, allowing no opportunity for insurers to innovate with their products or lower rates to compete for business directly from the consumer. Texas should introduce competition into the title insurance market by moving to a file-and-use system.

Ban Foreign Funding in Ballot Propositions

Despite federal laws prohibiting foreign funding of candidate elections, foreign individuals and entities are still able to fund campaigns related to state and local ballot initiatives in multiple jurisdictions, creating a loophole that hostile foreign actors can exploit to influence American elections. Key points: Federal law prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to candidate campaigns or...