89th Legislative Session

Commentary

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…

Commentary

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….

Commentary

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…

Research

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…

Commentary

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…

News

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…

News

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…

Research

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…

News

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…

News

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…