89th Legislative Session
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…
Texas Spending is Out of Control
Texans know that economic freedom is the foundation of prosperity. Yet, despite Republican control of the Governor’s Office and Legislature since 2003, state and local government spending has grown far too much, burdening taxpayers and stifling even greater economic growth….
Texas: A Leader in Tax Competitiveness, But Room to Improve
Texas ranks 7th in the 2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index, benefiting from its lack of an individual income tax and a competitive unemployment insurance tax system. However, high property taxes, a complex corporate tax system, and excessive government spending, all…
Eliminating Property Taxes in Texas: Real Options for True Homeownership and Economic Prosperity
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…
House Speaker Vote Results and Fallout
What it means for conservative-fiscal policy On Saturday, the Texas House Republican Caucus convened in the capitol building to cast their votes for a new Speaker, following Dade Phelan’s withdrawal from the contentious race the day before. As reported by…
Dade Phelan Drops Out, His Lieutenant Jumps In
This morning, the sitting Speaker of the Texas House, Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) released a statement announcing that he was withdrawing his candidacy to remain Speaker in the 89th Legislative Session. Phelan’s statement announcing his decision said, in part, “Out of…
Bill Pre-Filing Has Begun for the 89th Legislative Session
Just one week after the 2024 election in which the Republican Party further expanded their majorities in both chambers of the Texas Legislature, pre-filing of bills for the 2025 legislative session has started. Thanks to the widespread victories of anti-establishment…
2026-27 Frozen Texas Budget: Reining in Unsustainable Spending
Overview Introduction Recently, the Texas Legislative Budget Board released the Fiscal Size-Up 2024-25 Biennium report with the latest estimated or budgeted amounts in the prior 2022-23 budget and the appropriated 2024-25 budget. The results from the 88th Texas Legislature’s efforts…
RPT Releases Final Legislative Priorities
The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) has released the Legislative Priorities for the 2025-2026 cycle and the 89th Legislative session. The RPT legislative priorities include the top eight tasks that the party expects republican members of the Texas Legislature to…
Senators Tasked with Researching the Elimination of Property Taxes
Earlier this month, the Texas Senate unveiled its interim charges, which are topics of study assigned to Senate committees during the interim period between legislative sessions. These charges, issued by Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, guide committees in their research…