Last Friday, the town of Mineral Wells, Texas, welcomed Governor Greg Abbott for a well-attended campaign rally in support of Mike Olcott, a candidate endorsed by Texans for Fiscal Responsibility (TFR).  During the event, Governor Abbott articulated his rationale behind…

Harris County’s “Uplift Harris” guaranteed basic income program is facing criticism and legal scrutiny from State Senator Paul Bettencourt (R – Houston), who submitted a request for an opinion from the attorney general’s office on the constitutionality of the initiative….

As we enter election season, many voters across the State of Texas are looking to find information about candidates and the voting records of their sitting elected officials, in order to make informed decisions at the ballot box.  Thankfully, Texans…

2023 was a year of legislative disappointments: mediocre property tax relief, wasteful spending, and fiscal irresponsibility; however, there was another egregious example of legislative impropriety that may have flown under the radar for some.  While you were struggling under the…

Explore a pivotal year in Texas politics, featuring a historic budget surplus, the largest spending increase, complex property tax cuts, corporate welfare debates, and the unresolved school choice saga. This comprehensive review sheds light on the major legislative decisions and their implications for the future of Texas.

Texas’ Local Debt Crisis: Unpacking the $461.3 Billion Burden In a startling revelation, the Texas Public Policy Foundation reported a significant surge in Texas’ local debt, now towering at an unprecedented $461.3 billion as of the fiscal year 2023. This…

The Texas Legislature wrapped up the fourth special legislative session on Tuesday and one of the most contentious issues remained unresolved: school choice. Despite Governor Greg Abbott’s push, the proposal to allow for Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) ultimately failed to…

One of the perhaps most underreported outcomes of last week’s election is the overwhelming success of local bond propositions, especially those that will further increase the already rapidly growing property tax burden on Texas taxpayers. Collectively, Texas voters considered nearly…

As the third special legislative session reaches its forced conclusion, it does so with not much in the way to show for it, especially regarding efforts on school choice. In continuance of what seems to be a long-standing trend, efforts…

The federal budget deficit has doubled from one year to the next a few times before. Usually, those occurrences happen in conjunction with economic bad news, something the current administration consistently says does not exist. The Numbers Game First off,…

Recently, Truth in Accounting (TIA), a fiscal watchdog organization, published a report titled “Financial State of the States 2023” shedding light on the perceived fiscal health of all 50 states in the United States based on key factors. According to…

The race to fill the vacant seat for Texas House District 2 is underway, with the special election now less than a month out.  One candidate, Jill Dutton, has thrown her hat into the ring, hoping that Voters in HD-2…

What does it say about a state that has to pay off government schools and those within the government school system in order to potentially adopt a school choice system that benefits only some students? That scenario is exactly what…

Friday, three Texas House lawmakers called on both the Texas House Speaker, Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) and State Rep. Andrew Murr (R-Junction) to conduct a “complete audit and providing an itemized account of taxpayer funds spent on the impeachment investigation and…

In recent developments, the budgetary decisions and the political maneuvering in the U.S. Congress have taken an unforeseen turn, spotlighting the fiscal discourse that underpins our nation’s governance. The passage of the stopgap resolution, a temporary measure to prevent a…