On Thursday, the Texas House of Representatives considered House Bill 5 (HB 5), or what was dubbed the “Texas Jobs and Security Act” by both the legislation’s author, Republican State Rep. Todd Hunter (Corpus Christi), and Texas House Speaker Dade…

The state of Texas is one of only 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid after the passage of Obamacare. That is a good thing. Medicaid expansion is costly and does not provide timely access to quality care. If you…

At the end of last week, several Texas House lawmakers signed on in support of the corporate welfare revival effort prioritized by Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont), increasing the total amount of public supporters to a threshold that’s enough…

In a year when taxpayers are barely hanging on and dealing with record-high inflation, rising energy costs, and historically high property taxes, the Legislature has opted to act decisively. They have wasted no time pushing for multinational, billion-dollar corporations to…

It’s no secret that leadership in the Texas Legislature has been heavily focusing on property tax relief packages in recent weeks. The Texas House and Senate have both filed their proposals, and both seek to provide minimal relief for homeowners….

Late Thursday, Republican State Rep. J.M. Lozano (Kingsville) filed House Bill 2421 seeking to revive the largest corporate welfare program in Texas. The Chapter 313 tax abatement program, as a part of the Texas Economic Development Act, expired on December…

On Day 30 of the ongoing 140-day 88th Legislative Session, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan announced the committee assignments for all House state lawmakers. In comparison, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick announced the Senate’s committee assignments more than two weeks…

On Monday, the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs released a report that seems to show a majority support for the policy of school choice. In the wake of government school reaction to the pandemic and in many…

Election of Speaker The 88th Legislative Session officially convened Tuesday, and in the Texas House of Representatives, the first order of business after being sworn in was to elect a House speaker. Two candidates were nominated. The incumbent speaker, Republican…

As 2022 comes to a close and we ramp up our efforts in preparation for all that 2023 brings, which includes the Texas 88th Legislative Session, we thought it might be prudent to summarize our top five pieces of written…

With the 88th Legislative Session set to gavel in just a few short weeks from now, lawmakers are continuing to get pressure from Texas taxpayers on the need to prioritize actual property tax relief. Recently, Defend Texas Liberty PAC released…

On Thursday, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan addressed the Transportation Advocacy Group in Houston, speaking on transportation and infrastructure issues, among other items. In the course of his address, he indicated he has other plans for the projected nearly $27…

On Friday, Republican State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (Arlington) officially filed as a candidate for speaker of the Texas House, challenging incumbent Speaker Dade Phelan (Beaumont).  Tinderholt was first elected to the Texas House in 2015 and is a taxpayer champion…

Last week, Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan made headlines for his comments at the West Texas Legislative Summit in San Angelo, Texas, where he indicated that the House will take a “long, hard look” in the next legislative session…

Last week, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont), released his list of interim charges to all House committees. Every legislative cycle, the leaders of each respective legislative chamber issue interim charges for each committee to study in preparation for the…