Featured News
Will Texas DOGE more spending?
State needs a similar effort to Musk’s federal crusade. This commentary was originally published at The Dallas Morning News here. It is being republished with permission from the author. One of the most amazing political phenomena Americans have seen in ages is…
Real Options for Eliminating Property Taxes in Texas
Property taxes are a financial burden that Texans can no longer afford to endure. Over the past 26 years, Figure 1 illustrates how property taxes have increased by an unsustainable 330%, far outpacing population and inflation growth of 136%. Figure…
Foreign Land Ownership and the American Dream
The American Dream Land ownership has always been deeply intertwined with the American identity. From the earliest days of settlement, land was seen as foundational to liberty, independence, self-determination, and economic opportunity. Colonists and immigrants from all over the world…
News and Commentary
Big Government, Backroom Deals: Texas House Leadership Unilaterally Raises Office Budgets
Texas House Leadership Sidesteps Full House Vote In a move that bypasses traditional legislative procedures and disrespects taxpayers, the Texas House Administration Committee has unilaterally approved significant budget increases for legislative offices, including a controversial new stipend for Democrat vice…
Dirty Money and Rigged Games: The Lottery and Gambling
Texas Lottery Under Fire for Alleged Money Laundering and Corruption The Texas Lottery has once again found itself at the center of controversy, as recent Senate Finance Committee hearings exposed a series of alarming allegations, including money laundering, regulatory negligence,…
Vote Notice 2.18.2025
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility has issued the following vote notice for February 18th, 2025 Texas House of Representatives None Texas Senate Subject: Senate Joint Resolution 1 (SJR 1) – No bail for illegal aliens charged with felonies. Subject: Senate Bill 40 (SB 40)…
Texas Senate Passes SB 4 to Raise the Homestead Exemption
On Thursday, the Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), the Senate’s initially proposed property tax relief legislation, which raises the homestead exemption for school property taxes. SB 4, along with it’s accompanying constitutional amendment SJR 2, will utilize…
Texas Senate Passes School Choice Bill
The Texas Senate has recently passed SB 2, a landmark piece of legislation that introduces school choice for families across the state. This bill seeks to ensure that Texas students have access to the best educational opportunities available, whether that…
Vote Notice 2.11.2025
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility has issued the following vote notice for February 11th, 2025 Texas House of Representatives None Texas Senate Subject: Senate Bill 4 (SB 4) – Property Tax Relief, Raising the Homestead Exemption Reminder: Vote Notices are provided to…
The Texas Legislature is Tiring of Property Tax Relief
A sentiment making its way around the Texas Legislature is that providing tax relief for property owners is “too big of a commitment.” An element of this sentiment was expressed several times in a recent Senate Finance Committee hearing where…
Sovereign Wealth Funds: A Bad Idea for Texas and the Nation
Recent proposals by President Donald Trump to establish a U.S. Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) and by Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick to remove the cap on Texas’s Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF) are deeply flawed. Both ideas assume that government-run investment…
Governor Abbott’s State of the State Address
A Step Toward Fiscal Reform, But More Is Needed Governor Greg Abbott’s recent “State of the State” address highlighted several important priorities for Texas. While Texans for Fiscal Responsibility (TFR) commends the Governor’s efforts to address property tax relief and…
Vote Notice 2.04.2025
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility has issued the following vote notice for February 4th, 2025 Texas House of Representatives None Texas Senate Subject: Senate Bill 2 (SB 2) – School Choice Reminder: Vote Notices are provided to both Texas state lawmakers and…
Texas Budget Crisis Despite Robust Labor Market
Texas is experiencing economic growth, but the state government isn’t keeping pace with fiscal responsibility. In December 2024, Texas added 37,000 new jobs, marking its twelfth consecutive month of job gains. Total nonfarm employment reached a record 14,318,700, and the…
Proposed Property Tax Relief Falls Short in the 89th Texas Legislature
Texans Will Get Less Than $4 Billion Out of the $24 Billion Budget Surplus Executive Summary Though it is difficult to discern from recent statements made by Texas’ legislative leaders, the Texas Senate has budgeted only $3 billion for new…
An Affront to Taxpayers
Texas House Leadership’s Push to Raise Budgets Without a Vote is a Direct Assault on Fiscal Responsibility and Democracy The Texas House of Representatives is currently embroiled in a troubling move that raises serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and fiscal…
House Rules Package Expands Democrat Power
On Thursday, the Texas House passed their permanent rules for the 89th Legislature. Rules which, for the next two years, will govern how the Texas House operates, including floor proceedings, committees and more. While some might look on something like…
Trump’s First Week and Fiscal Policy
Since President Donald J. Trump was sworn into office on January 20th, he’s been working non-stop to undo the disastrous policies of the Biden Administration and fulfill his campaign promises. As of Friday, Trump has signed dozens of executive orders,…