TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY

FOUNDATIONABOUTMULTIMEDIAEVENTSISSUESINITIATIVESPRESS Texas Public Policy Foundation is a research and educational institution whose mission is to build and promote conservative public policies on local, state and national public policy. CONTACT US - TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION Contact us with your questions about public policy, current research or conservative commentary. We will respond within a few days!

PROPERTY TAX REFORM

The Issue In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed the most significant tax reform seen in modern times. The new law—Senate Bill 2, otherwise known as the Texas Property Tax Reform and Transparency Act—makes many revisions to the Tax Code. Its signature change empowers voters with the right to decide on big tax increases. Under

SB

YES, CRITICAL RACE THEORY IS TAUGHT IN TEXAS SCHOOLS “The loveliest trick of the Devil is to persuade you that he does not exist.” —Charles Baudelaire Gov. Greg Abbott is likely to sign the bill that will effectively ban the teaching of critical race theory in Texas, but its implementation will be key. In the months that CRT has been debated in Texas, it has been dismissed as merely another way of looking at things (much as Antifa has been SB 14: PRIVATE BUSINESS MANDATES Over the last few years, local governments throughout Texas have attempted to mandate regulations on private businesses and employees including but not limited to employment benefits as well as hiring and scheduling practices. Senate Bill 14 prohibits these types of local ordinances that regulate private employment practices. At its core, SB

14 aims to preserve

TEXAS BILL TO BAN TAXPAYER-FUNDED LOBBYING FACES FIERCE FIGHT A few years back, Gallup polled Americans on which social entities they thought had too much power. Lobbyists came out on top with 71 percent, beating big business, banks, the federal government, and even labor unions. Gallup has also over the years asked Americans which professions they trust most. Nurses and military officers usually come

out on top.

TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT TEXAS ELECTION BILLS There is an astounding amount of disinformation surrounding Texas Legislature’s election integrity bills. Among the many mischaracterizations, two stand out: claims of racism buttressed by fabricated history, and the objections to letting poll watchers do their jobs. Let’s start with that fabricated history. Texas House Bill 6 wisely quoted the Texas Constitution for the Legislature’s IMPROVE THE LABOR MARKET BY ENDING FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT The substantially weaker than expected U.S. jobs report was unfortunate for struggling Americans, but it should have been expected given the disastrous policy out of D.C. Fortunately, states can fix it. Milton Friedman said that if the federal government oversaw the Sahara Desert, within five years there would be a shortage of sand. So

inefficient

ELIMINATING ACCELERATED MATH COURSES DOESN’T ADD UP Texas is falling behind other states in mathematics education and is on the verge of making a decision that would irrevocably harm students for generations. Nationally, there’s a movement to remove all accelerated courses from kindergarten through tenth grade in the name of “equity.” The Virginia Department of Education recently announced these intentions, which in LOOPHOLE ALLOWS TEXAS CITIES AND COUNTIES TO BLOW PAST House Bill 1869 is scheduled for floor debate today. The bill would protect last session’s tax reforms by including debt not approved by voters, such as certificates of obligation, in the 3.5% voter-approval tax rate calculation. Under current law, these items are excluded from the tax rate calculation, even though they lead to higher taxes.

TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY

FOUNDATIONABOUTMULTIMEDIAEVENTSISSUESINITIATIVESPRESS Texas Public Policy Foundation is a research and educational institution whose mission is to build and promote conservative public policies on local, state and national public policy. CONTACT US - TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION Contact us with your questions about public policy, current research or conservative commentary. We will respond within a few days!

PROPERTY TAX REFORM

The Issue In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed the most significant tax reform seen in modern times. The new law—Senate Bill 2, otherwise known as the Texas Property Tax Reform and Transparency Act—makes many revisions to the Tax Code. Its signature change empowers voters with the right to decide on big tax increases. Under

SB

YES, CRITICAL RACE THEORY IS TAUGHT IN TEXAS SCHOOLS “The loveliest trick of the Devil is to persuade you that he does not exist.” —Charles Baudelaire Gov. Greg Abbott is likely to sign the bill that will effectively ban the teaching of critical race theory in Texas, but its implementation will be key. In the months that CRT has been debated in Texas, it has been dismissed as merely another way of looking at things (much as Antifa has been SB 14: PRIVATE BUSINESS MANDATES Over the last few years, local governments throughout Texas have attempted to mandate regulations on private businesses and employees including but not limited to employment benefits as well as hiring and scheduling practices. Senate Bill 14 prohibits these types of local ordinances that regulate private employment practices. At its core, SB

14 aims to preserve

TEXAS BILL TO BAN TAXPAYER-FUNDED LOBBYING FACES FIERCE FIGHT A few years back, Gallup polled Americans on which social entities they thought had too much power. Lobbyists came out on top with 71 percent, beating big business, banks, the federal government, and even labor unions. Gallup has also over the years asked Americans which professions they trust most. Nurses and military officers usually come

out on top.

TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT TEXAS ELECTION BILLS There is an astounding amount of disinformation surrounding Texas Legislature’s election integrity bills. Among the many mischaracterizations, two stand out: claims of racism buttressed by fabricated history, and the objections to letting poll watchers do their jobs. Let’s start with that fabricated history. Texas House Bill 6 wisely quoted the Texas Constitution for the Legislature’s IMPROVE THE LABOR MARKET BY ENDING FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT The substantially weaker than expected U.S. jobs report was unfortunate for struggling Americans, but it should have been expected given the disastrous policy out of D.C. Fortunately, states can fix it. Milton Friedman said that if the federal government oversaw the Sahara Desert, within five years there would be a shortage of sand. So

inefficient

ELIMINATING ACCELERATED MATH COURSES DOESN’T ADD UP Texas is falling behind other states in mathematics education and is on the verge of making a decision that would irrevocably harm students for generations. Nationally, there’s a movement to remove all accelerated courses from kindergarten through tenth grade in the name of “equity.” The Virginia Department of Education recently announced these intentions, which in LOOPHOLE ALLOWS TEXAS CITIES AND COUNTIES TO BLOW PAST House Bill 1869 is scheduled for floor debate today. The bill would protect last session’s tax reforms by including debt not approved by voters, such as certificates of obligation, in the 3.5% voter-approval tax rate calculation. Under current law, these items are excluded from the tax rate calculation, even though they lead to higher taxes. NUMBERS DO NOT LIE: UNEMPLOYMENT BONUSES STIMULATE 15 hours ago · America’s labor market has significant structural problems. Despite about 9 million people being unemployed, there are about that many job openings and employers cannot seem to find willing workers. There were 9.3 million unfilled job openings on April 30, 1 million beyond the previous record in March. More than a third of the

1 million

OUR MISSION

The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-partisan research institute. The Foundation’s mission is to promote and defend liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas and the nation by educating and affecting policymakers and the Texas public policy debate with academically sound research and outreach.. Funded by thousands of individuals,

foundations

TPPF: SEN. COTTON’S ANTI-1619 PROJECT BILL WILL PROTECT 16 hours ago · The Texas Public Policy Foundation praised the introduction of the “Saving American History Act of 2021” by U.S. Senator Tom of Arkansas. The bill would prohibit federal funds from being used by public elementary and secondary schools to teach the New York Times’ “1619 Project,” which claims that slavery is the foundation of America’s success in the PART 2: THE BORDER CRISIS IS REAL: HERE ARE THE STORIES 22 hours ago · On the high north bank of the Rio Grande River, an uninhabited home overlooks the river. Our small group — members of the Border Security Coalition who traveled to Val Verde County to see the border crisis for ourselves — stood on a pleasant green landing near the property, but we weren’t BIDEN’S BORDER CRISIS 1 day ago · The world wants to come to America and many in America – at least in the Biden administration and the Chamber of Commerce – want the world to come. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the Texas-Mexico border, where the surge of would-be immigrants has completely overwhelmed the Border Patrol and local law enforcement. If current trends continue,

THE TAX MAN COMETH

President Joe Biden released his plan for massive tax and spending increases. It is a budget only in the loosest sense of the word. If you drafted a household budget using the same methodology and ideas as this latest federal proposal, you would soon be heading to IN TELLING THE STORY OF THE ALAMO, REMEMBER THE FACTS 15 hours ago · Everything that’s wrong with revisionist history is summed up in the lead paragraph of Time magazine’s new piece, “We’ve Been Telling the Alamo Story Wrong for Nearly 200 Years. Now It’s Time to Correct the Record.” Authors Brian Burrough and Jason Stanford begin with a hypothetical: America opens up Alaska for colonization, and Canadians move IS MASS ILLEGAL MIGRATION AN INVASION? 1 day ago · We think of an invasion as an armed assault on a nation. In our history classes, we were taught about instances like the Nazi invasions of neighboring European countries, the ancient Roman Empire’s onslaught of surrounding nations, or maybe North Korea’s attempt to impose on her southern counterpart. But recently, several notable Republicans and conservatives IOWA IS AN EXAMPLE OF RESPONSIBLE BUDGETING Sound fiscal policy must begin with spending restraint. Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Republican-led Iowa Legislature continued to follow pro-growth fiscal conservatism during the most recently concluded session. The Legislature passed an $8.1 billion FY 2022 state budget, which provided an estimated $1 billion in tax relief to taxpayers instead of growing government. WHAT ARE CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION & WHO IS USING THEM? The Certificates of Obligation Act of 1971 allows some governmental entities—like cities, counties, and certain special districts—to issue debt without voter approval to fund any public project. More specifically, certificates of obligation (COs) can be used “to fund the construction, demolition, or restoration of structures; purchase materials, supplies, equipment, machinery, buildings

TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY

FOUNDATIONABOUTMULTIMEDIAEVENTSISSUESINITIATIVESPRESS Texas Public Policy Foundation is a research and educational institution whose mission is to build and promote conservative public policies on local, state and national public policy. TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT TEXAS ELECTION BILLS There is an astounding amount of disinformation surrounding Texas Legislature’s election integrity bills. Among the many mischaracterizations, two stand out: claims of racism buttressed by fabricated history, and the objections to letting poll watchers do their jobs. Let’s start with that fabricated history. Texas House Bill 6 wisely quoted the Texas Constitution for the Legislature’s TEXAS BILL TO BAN TAXPAYER-FUNDED LOBBYING FACES FIERCE FIGHT A few years back, Gallup polled Americans on which social entities they thought had too much power. Lobbyists came out on top with 71 percent, beating big business, banks, the federal government, and even labor unions. Gallup has also over the years asked Americans which professions they trust most. Nurses and military officers usually come

out on top.

PROPERTY TAX REFORM

The Issue In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed the most significant tax reform seen in modern times. The new law—Senate Bill 2, otherwise known as the Texas Property Tax Reform and Transparency Act—makes many revisions to the Tax Code. Its signature change empowers voters with the right to decide on big tax increases. Under

SB

SB 14: PRIVATE BUSINESS MANDATES Over the last few years, local governments throughout Texas have attempted to mandate regulations on private businesses and employees including but not limited to employment benefits as well as hiring and scheduling practices. Senate Bill 14 prohibits these types of local ordinances that regulate private employment practices. At its core, SB

14 aims to preserve

POLICY ORIENTATION 2021 Policy Orientation is the premier policy gathering focused on issues you care about most at the national, state, and local levels. At Policy Orientation, you will engage in conversations that matter. Join scholars, experts, and other distinguished guests to explore the ideas shaping your world and how you can influence them. Come to Policy Orientation 2021 and be informed, illuminated, and IMPROVE THE LABOR MARKET BY ENDING FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT The substantially weaker than expected U.S. jobs report was unfortunate for struggling Americans, but it should have been expected given the disastrous policy out of D.C. Fortunately, states can fix it. Milton Friedman said that if the federal government oversaw the Sahara Desert, within five years there would be a shortage of sand. So

inefficient

THE CENSUS REWARDED RED STATES, BUT DEMOCRATS ARE SCHEMING The U.S. Census Bureau released its once-in-a-decade national census on April 26. Most of the discussion about the census has focused on states losing or gaining seats in the U.S. House, a process known as reapportionment. For the 2022 midterms, seven states will be down one member of the House: California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, TEXAS DOES NOT NEED MEDICAID EXPANSION Texas has not expanded, which has allowed the state to save taxpayer money that would have gone into a program that is fraught with issues. Medicaid was created by President Johnson in 1965 to assist lower income individuals and pregnant women who otherwise could not access the health care system. But expansion has broadened the program to CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES OF “DEFUNDING THE POLICE” The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 sparked nationwide protests, riots, calls for reforms, calls for defunding the police, and an array of legislation or proposed legislation. There was bipartisan interest in policing issues, whether it was called reform or improvement. Sadly, the bipartisanship was very short-lived and for

the most part,

TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY

FOUNDATIONABOUTMULTIMEDIAEVENTSISSUESINITIATIVESPRESS Texas Public Policy Foundation is a research and educational institution whose mission is to build and promote conservative public policies on local, state and national public policy. TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT TEXAS ELECTION BILLS There is an astounding amount of disinformation surrounding Texas Legislature’s election integrity bills. Among the many mischaracterizations, two stand out: claims of racism buttressed by fabricated history, and the objections to letting poll watchers do their jobs. Let’s start with that fabricated history. Texas House Bill 6 wisely quoted the Texas Constitution for the Legislature’s TEXAS BILL TO BAN TAXPAYER-FUNDED LOBBYING FACES FIERCE FIGHT A few years back, Gallup polled Americans on which social entities they thought had too much power. Lobbyists came out on top with 71 percent, beating big business, banks, the federal government, and even labor unions. Gallup has also over the years asked Americans which professions they trust most. Nurses and military officers usually come

out on top.

PROPERTY TAX REFORM

The Issue In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed the most significant tax reform seen in modern times. The new law—Senate Bill 2, otherwise known as the Texas Property Tax Reform and Transparency Act—makes many revisions to the Tax Code. Its signature change empowers voters with the right to decide on big tax increases. Under

SB

SB 14: PRIVATE BUSINESS MANDATES Over the last few years, local governments throughout Texas have attempted to mandate regulations on private businesses and employees including but not limited to employment benefits as well as hiring and scheduling practices. Senate Bill 14 prohibits these types of local ordinances that regulate private employment practices. At its core, SB

14 aims to preserve

POLICY ORIENTATION 2021 Policy Orientation is the premier policy gathering focused on issues you care about most at the national, state, and local levels. At Policy Orientation, you will engage in conversations that matter. Join scholars, experts, and other distinguished guests to explore the ideas shaping your world and how you can influence them. Come to Policy Orientation 2021 and be informed, illuminated, and IMPROVE THE LABOR MARKET BY ENDING FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT The substantially weaker than expected U.S. jobs report was unfortunate for struggling Americans, but it should have been expected given the disastrous policy out of D.C. Fortunately, states can fix it. Milton Friedman said that if the federal government oversaw the Sahara Desert, within five years there would be a shortage of sand. So

inefficient

THE CENSUS REWARDED RED STATES, BUT DEMOCRATS ARE SCHEMING The U.S. Census Bureau released its once-in-a-decade national census on April 26. Most of the discussion about the census has focused on states losing or gaining seats in the U.S. House, a process known as reapportionment. For the 2022 midterms, seven states will be down one member of the House: California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, TEXAS DOES NOT NEED MEDICAID EXPANSION Texas has not expanded, which has allowed the state to save taxpayer money that would have gone into a program that is fraught with issues. Medicaid was created by President Johnson in 1965 to assist lower income individuals and pregnant women who otherwise could not access the health care system. But expansion has broadened the program to CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES OF “DEFUNDING THE POLICE” The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 sparked nationwide protests, riots, calls for reforms, calls for defunding the police, and an array of legislation or proposed legislation. There was bipartisan interest in policing issues, whether it was called reform or improvement. Sadly, the bipartisanship was very short-lived and for

the most part,

AMLO, THE CARTELS, AND THE CURIOUS CASE OF RCQ “Imagine the suspicion, the jokes, the memes.” Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, “AMLO,” presides over a country ravaged by cartel violence and spiking homicide rates, decimated economically by the COVID-19 pandemic, and well behind the curve in immunization rates. Yet on a Monday morning in early May, his concerns about Mexico’s global reputation were YES, TEXAS MOVED HEALTH CARE FORWARD 7 hours ago · You know what they say about assumptions. And two specific assumptions in the Texas media’s chorus of condemnations of the Legislature for not expanding Medicaid stand out as both ill-informed and short-sighted—the assumption that expanding Medicaid would result in better health and fiscal outcomes, and that coverage equals care. Both assumptions are made in a BIDEN’S BORDER CRISIS 9 hours ago · The world wants to come to America and many in America – at least in the Biden administration and the Chamber of Commerce – want the world to come. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the Texas-Mexico border, where the surge of would-be immigrants has completely overwhelmed the Border Patrol and local law enforcement. If current trends continue, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THE 87TH LEGISLATURE: GOODBYE The regular session of the 87th Texas Legislature has ended, and time has come to take stock of the changes that will follow. In terms of economic development, the Legislature ended one program, created a new one, and passed bills that will increase transparency. The biggest transformation relates to the Texas Economic Development Act, better IS MASS ILLEGAL MIGRATION AN INVASION? 7 hours ago · We think of an invasion as an armed assault on a nation. In our history classes, we were taught about instances like the Nazi invasions of neighboring European countries, the ancient Roman Empire’s onslaught of surrounding nations, or maybe North Korea’s attempt to impose on her southern counterpart. But recently, several notable Republicans and conservatives

THE TAX MAN COMETH

President Joe Biden released his plan for massive tax and spending increases. It is a budget only in the loosest sense of the word. If you drafted a household budget using the same methodology and ideas as this latest federal proposal, you would soon be heading to IOWA IS AN EXAMPLE OF RESPONSIBLE BUDGETING 1 day ago · Sound fiscal policy must begin with spending restraint. Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Republican-led Iowa Legislature continued to follow pro-growth fiscal conservatism during the most recently concluded session. The Legislature passed an $8.1 billion FY 2022 state budget, which provided an estimated $1 billion in tax relief to taxpayers instead of growing government. IN THIS REMOTE TEXAS COUNTY, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION THREATENS 1 day ago · Val Verde County is like a lot of South Texas counties: sparsely populated, rugged, dry, and vast. If you’ve never been there, well, I’m not sure there’s much reason to go. It’s not for everyone, but it’s for me. I happen to think places like this are the best places in the world: places where REDUCING REGULATIONS The Issue Regulations are often a necessary function of civilized society. Laws and regulations dealing with public health and safety and fraudulent practices are often accepted as necessary infringements of freedom and liberty. The question is how much regulation is necessary to effectively achieve the desired protections. Regulations can stifle innovation and economic growth and ELIMINATING ACCELERATED MATH COURSES DOESN’T ADD UP Eliminating Accelerated Math Courses Doesn’t Add Up. Texas is falling behind other states in mathematics education and is on the verge of making a decision that would irrevocably harm students for generations. Nationally, there’s a movement to remove all accelerated courses from kindergarten through tenth grade in the name

of “equity.”.

TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY

FOUNDATIONABOUTMULTIMEDIAEVENTSISSUESINITIATIVESPRESS Texas Public Policy Foundation is a research and educational institution whose mission is to build and promote conservative public policies on local, state and national public policy.

OUR MISSION

The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-partisan research institute. The Foundation’s mission is to promote and defend liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas and the nation by educating and affecting policymakers and the Texas public policy debate with academically sound research and outreach.. Funded by thousands of individuals,

foundations

PROPERTY TAX REFORM

The Issue In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed the most significant tax reform seen in modern times. The new law—Senate Bill 2, otherwise known as the Texas Property Tax Reform and Transparency Act—makes many revisions to the Tax Code. Its signature change empowers voters with the right to decide on big tax increases. Under

SB

TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT TEXAS ELECTION BILLS There is an astounding amount of disinformation surrounding Texas Legislature’s election integrity bills. Among the many mischaracterizations, two stand out: claims of racism buttressed by fabricated history, and the objections to letting poll watchers do their jobs. Let’s start with that fabricated history. Texas House Bill 6 wisely quoted the Texas Constitution for the Legislature’s YES, CRITICAL RACE THEORY IS TAUGHT IN TEXAS SCHOOLS “The loveliest trick of the Devil is to persuade you that he does not exist.” —Charles Baudelaire Gov. Greg Abbott is likely to sign the bill that will effectively ban the teaching of critical race theory in Texas, but its implementation will be key. In the months that CRT has been debated in Texas, it has been dismissed as merely another way of looking at things (much as Antifa has been SB 14: PRIVATE BUSINESS MANDATES Over the last few years, local governments throughout Texas have attempted to mandate regulations on private businesses and employees including but not limited to employment benefits as well as hiring and scheduling practices. Senate Bill 14 prohibits these types of local ordinances that regulate private employment practices. At its core, SB

14 aims to preserve

TEXAS DOES NOT NEED MEDICAID EXPANSION Texas has not expanded, which has allowed the state to save taxpayer money that would have gone into a program that is fraught with issues. Medicaid was created by President Johnson in 1965 to assist lower income individuals and pregnant women who otherwise could not access the health care system. But expansion has broadened the program to WIND AND SOLAR EASEMENTS The Issue Local, state, and federal governments sometimes use zoning or deed restrictions with the aim of benefiting the public and protecting private property rights. To address the issue of wind and solar development specifically, the Minnesota Legislature created wind and solar “easements.” Just like mineral rights give landowners control over access to any oil EDUCATION AND PROPERTY TAXES: A TEXAS-SIZED CONUNDRUM Funding education with property taxes has created a legal and financial quagmire in Texas for more than four decades. There are other options available for Texas’ 5.4 million public school students. Key points: A reliance on local property taxes to fund education has been at the heart of its constitutional challenges for

the better part

TAXPAYER-FUNDED LOBBYING The Issue So long as government is large and powerful—taxing, spending, and regulating in ways that can significantly affect the profitability of businesses and personal finance—individuals will be driven to influence lawmaking. Much of this activity is defensive but some is opportunistic, leading to crony corporatism with the government actively encouraged to pick winners and

TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY

FOUNDATIONABOUTMULTIMEDIAEVENTSISSUESINITIATIVESPRESS Texas Public Policy Foundation is a research and educational institution whose mission is to build and promote conservative public policies on local, state and national public policy.

OUR MISSION

The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-partisan research institute. The Foundation’s mission is to promote and defend liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas and the nation by educating and affecting policymakers and the Texas public policy debate with academically sound research and outreach.. Funded by thousands of individuals,

foundations

PROPERTY TAX REFORM

The Issue In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed the most significant tax reform seen in modern times. The new law—Senate Bill 2, otherwise known as the Texas Property Tax Reform and Transparency Act—makes many revisions to the Tax Code. Its signature change empowers voters with the right to decide on big tax increases. Under

SB

TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT TEXAS ELECTION BILLS There is an astounding amount of disinformation surrounding Texas Legislature’s election integrity bills. Among the many mischaracterizations, two stand out: claims of racism buttressed by fabricated history, and the objections to letting poll watchers do their jobs. Let’s start with that fabricated history. Texas House Bill 6 wisely quoted the Texas Constitution for the Legislature’s YES, CRITICAL RACE THEORY IS TAUGHT IN TEXAS SCHOOLS “The loveliest trick of the Devil is to persuade you that he does not exist.” —Charles Baudelaire Gov. Greg Abbott is likely to sign the bill that will effectively ban the teaching of critical race theory in Texas, but its implementation will be key. In the months that CRT has been debated in Texas, it has been dismissed as merely another way of looking at things (much as Antifa has been SB 14: PRIVATE BUSINESS MANDATES Over the last few years, local governments throughout Texas have attempted to mandate regulations on private businesses and employees including but not limited to employment benefits as well as hiring and scheduling practices. Senate Bill 14 prohibits these types of local ordinances that regulate private employment practices. At its core, SB

14 aims to preserve

TEXAS DOES NOT NEED MEDICAID EXPANSION Texas has not expanded, which has allowed the state to save taxpayer money that would have gone into a program that is fraught with issues. Medicaid was created by President Johnson in 1965 to assist lower income individuals and pregnant women who otherwise could not access the health care system. But expansion has broadened the program to WIND AND SOLAR EASEMENTS The Issue Local, state, and federal governments sometimes use zoning or deed restrictions with the aim of benefiting the public and protecting private property rights. To address the issue of wind and solar development specifically, the Minnesota Legislature created wind and solar “easements.” Just like mineral rights give landowners control over access to any oil EDUCATION AND PROPERTY TAXES: A TEXAS-SIZED CONUNDRUM Funding education with property taxes has created a legal and financial quagmire in Texas for more than four decades. There are other options available for Texas’ 5.4 million public school students. Key points: A reliance on local property taxes to fund education has been at the heart of its constitutional challenges for

the better part

TAXPAYER-FUNDED LOBBYING The Issue So long as government is large and powerful—taxing, spending, and regulating in ways that can significantly affect the profitability of businesses and personal finance—individuals will be driven to influence lawmaking. Much of this activity is defensive but some is opportunistic, leading to crony corporatism with the government actively encouraged to pick winners and TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION The Foundation's mission is to improve Texas government by generating academically sound research and data on state issues, and by recommending the findings to opinion leaders, policy makers, the media and general public. The work of the Foundation is conducted by academics across Texas and is funded by hundreds of individuals, foundations and corporations. IOWA IS AN EXAMPLE OF RESPONSIBLE BUDGETING 6 hours ago · Sound fiscal policy must begin with spending restraint. Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Republican-led Iowa Legislature continued to follow pro-growth fiscal conservatism during the most recently concluded session. The Legislature passed an $8.1 billion FY 2022 state budget, which provided an estimated $1 billion in tax relief to taxpayers instead of growing government. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THE 87TH LEGISLATURE: GOODBYE 1 day ago · The regular session of the 87th Texas Legislature has ended, and time has come to take stock of the changes that will follow. In terms of economic development, the Legislature ended one program, created a new one, and passed bills that will increase transparency. The biggest transformation relates to the Texas Economic Development Act, better AMLO, THE CARTELS, AND THE CURIOUS CASE OF RCQ “Imagine the suspicion, the jokes, the memes.” Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, “AMLO,” presides over a country ravaged by cartel violence and spiking homicide rates, decimated economically by the COVID-19 pandemic, and well behind the curve in immunization rates. Yet on a Monday morning in early May, his concerns about Mexico’s global reputation were IN THIS REMOTE TEXAS COUNTY, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION THREATENS Val Verde County is like a lot of South Texas counties: sparsely populated, rugged, dry, and vast. If you’ve never been there, well, I’m not sure there’s much reason to go. It’s not for everyone, but it’s for me. I happen to think places like this are the best places in the world: places where MAY 2021 JOBS REPORT Headline Numbers: The month of May produced another disappointing jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 559,000 which was 91,000 below expectations. The unemployment rate fell by 0.3% to 5.8%; economists expected 5.9% for May. The number of unemployed fell by 496,000 to 9.3 million and the number of permanent

THE TAX MAN COMETH

President Joe Biden released his plan for massive tax and spending increases. It is a budget only in the loosest sense of the word. If you drafted a household budget using the same methodology and ideas as this latest federal proposal, you would soon be heading to POLICY WINS: LAWMAKERS CUT TAXES, REDUCED REGULATIONS Texans will benefit from the policy wins achieved in the 87th Texas Legislature. Among other things, lawmakers: Passed a Conservative Texas Budget Strengthened spending limit Maintained property tax relief Improved taxpayer protections Reduced regulatory barriers The Texas budget, SB 1, came in below the Conservative Texas Budget—in fact, it is about $5 billion below the NEW POLL FINDS ALL THOSE PEOPLE MOVING TO TEXAS AREN’T It is no secret that pro-growth policies — low taxes and a light regulatory burden — have propelled population growth in Texas and Florida while the opposite has occurred in California, Illinois, and New York. Elected officials’ response to COVID-19 likely accelerated this trend in 2020, with Florida and Texas netting more than half of

the nation’s

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, RIGHT ON CRIME Description: Right on Crime is the conservative thought leader on issues related to criminal justice. ROC is a nationwide project of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, with a full-time presence in Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Florida, and we are looking to expand into other states in the near future. The Communications Director is

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