We have already reported¹ on James Talarico’s votes against adding an income-tax ban and a death-tax ban to the Texas Constitution. Those votes, however, are not the whole story.

While campaigning for the U.S. Senate as a champion of “affordability,” the Austin Democrat spent four legislative sessions in the Texas House voting against reforms that restrain local tax increases, opposing limits on hostile-foreign land purchases, and filing bills that would grow government.²

2019: Talarico voted against requiring voter approval for large property tax rate increases³

In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 2, the Texas Property Tax Reform and Transparency Act. The measure lowered the voter-approval tax rate for many taxing units from 8 percent to 3.5 percent, so local governments could not pile on huge year-over-year property-tax rate increases without voter approval. 

Talarico voted no. 

2021: Talarico voted against a bill that prevents deceased people from receiving welfare⁴

In 2021, James Talarico voted against a bill that required the state to check welfare rolls for lottery winnings, dead recipients, and signs a food-stamp recipient had moved out of state, and to cut off anyone who no longer qualified. 

2023: Talarico voted against banning puberty blockers for children⁵

In 2023 the Texas House passed Senate Bill 14. The legislation barred physicians from prescribing puberty blockers to minors to stop or delay normal puberty for the purposes of gender transition. It also barred cross-sex hormones and transition surgeries. Taxpayer money could not be used for those procedures, and Medicaid and CHIP could not reimburse them. Talarico opposed the bill and voted no. 

2025: Talarico voted against prohibiting land purchases by hostile foreign governments⁶

In the 89th Legislature, Senate Bill 17 restricted the purchase or acquisition of Texas real property by certain foreign aliens and entities tied to adversary governments, like China and Russia, created a criminal offense, and authorized civil penalties. While it passed and took effect September 1, 2025, James Talarico voted against it.

The bills he actually filed tell you what his real goals are

Some anti-taxpayer bills he has filed include:

• HB 5311 (89R), a “Texas Care Plan,” to bring us closer to socialized medicine by expanding Medicaid.⁷
• HB 5297 (89R), which would raise the minimum wage, having the additional effect of raising the cost of goods and services for all Texans.⁸
• HB 2206 (87R), to cap greenhouse-gas emissions at 90 percent below 1990 levels, raising energy costs for taxpayers and expanding state control over industry.⁹
• HB 5315 (89R), ends Texas’ right-to-work status and could result in workers being forced into unions as a condition of employment.¹⁰

Talarico wanted to force school districts to employ DEI Officers

In 2021, Talarico authored House Bill 4111, “relating to the employment of diversity, equity, and inclusion officers by school districts.” The bill would have mandated that many Texas school districts, at the cost of taxpayers, hire a DEI officer to “establish and sustain a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion” and to support DEI training.¹¹ 

He was also part of the 2025 Quorum Break

During the Special Sessions of the 89th Legislature in 2025, Talarico joined House Democrats who left the state to break quorum and halt House business. At the time, TFR documented what quorum breaks cost: tens of thousands of dollars a day in per diems, staff, utilities, and security, plus extra sessions and vice-chair office stipends paid while members were gone.¹²

Talarico’s refusal to do the job taxpayers elected him to do cost thousands of dollars that ordinary, hard-working Texas families had to pay. 

Anti-taxpayer and pro-big government 

Talarico’s Fiscal Responsibility Index score in 2025 was 30 out of 100. His grades in 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 were all F. Examination of James Talarico’s record across four legislative sessions reveals hundreds of votes in which James Talarico voted against common sense bills, against pro-taxpayer reforms, and supported measures that would have made life more difficult for hard-working Texans.

---

Texans for Fiscal Responsibility relies on the support of private donors across the Lone Star State in order to promote fiscal responsibility and pro-taxpayer government in Texas. Please consider supporting our efforts! Thank you!

Get The Fiscal Note, our free weekly roll-up on all the current events that could impact your wallet. Subscribe today!

---

1. https://texastaxpayers.com/talaricos-dangerous-record-on-taxes-opposing-income-tax-and-death-tax-bans/ ↩︎
2. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/legislators/james-talarico/2025-index ↩︎
3. https://index.texastaxpayers.com/votes/2019-house-vote-rv833 ↩︎
4. https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=87R&Bill=sb%201341 ↩︎
5. https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=88R&Bill=SB14 ↩︎
6. https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=sb%2017 ↩︎
7. https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=hb%205311 ↩︎
8. https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/Text.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB5297 ↩︎
9. https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=87R&Bill=HB%202206 ↩︎
10. https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB5315 ↩︎
11. https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=87R&Bill=hb%204111 ↩︎
12. https://texastaxpayers.com/quorum-break-vice-chairs-and-the-cost-to-taxpayers/ ↩︎