by Bill Peacock | Feb 6, 2026 | Research
In a previous paper1 examining the growth of Texas government over the last 10 years, we’ve seen that appropriations of Texas taxpayer funds increased by $110 billion, or 78%, during that time. Have you ever wondered what the Legislature did with all that money it...
by Bill Peacock | Feb 4, 2026 | Research
One of the most persistent lies in Texas politics is that Texas schools are “underfunded.”1 This lie takes many different forms. We’ll examine some of those below. First, though, let’s take a look at the growth in Texas spending on public schools over the last...
by Bill Peacock | Jan 23, 2026 | Research
One saying that circulates around the Texas Capitol when the Legislature convenes every two years is that the legislators have only one job they are required to do: adopt a budget. Every legislative session the legislators manage to do this. In fact, the...
by Andrew McVeigh | Jan 14, 2026 | Research
Over 20 Years of State Spending Growth In 2003, Republicans achieved an historic milestone by gaining control of the Texas state government, the executive and both chambers of the Legislature, for the first time in decades. Since then, Republicans have...
by Bill Peacock | Jan 9, 2026 | Explainers
Texas is considered a conservative state. Yet, when it comes to the size and scope of government, Texans ought to take a closer look. This is the first is a series of papers in which we will examine the growth of Texas’ state and local governments over the last...
