Will Texas ban the practice of taxpayer-funded lobbying in the next legislative session? Taxpayer-funded lobbying, simply put, is the practice of local political subdivisions (school districts, cities, counties, etc.) hiring lobbyists in Austin to lobby lawmakers to increase the local…

Governor Greg Abbott has, on several recent occasions, opined that Texas possesses the “best business climate” and is “America’s premier economic destination.” While on the surface this seems true, the emphasis by the state and local governments over the last…

The 88th Texas Legislative Session has come and gone. State lawmakers were faced with a historic budget surplus (over-collected taxpayer dollars) and a historic opportunity to provide Texas taxpayers with much-needed tax relief and a promise for future prosperity. Instead,…

Episode Description 💰 In this episode of 𝗧𝗔𝗫𝗣𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞𝗦, we discuss the potential for renewed life when it comes to tangible property tax relief as a result of the nearly concluded 88th Legislative Session. We also talk about the prospects…

Episode Description 💰 In our ninth episode of 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 𝗔𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗, we discuss the legislative priorities that are making their way through the legislative process, including House Bill 5 which seeks to revive the largest corporate welfare program in the…

Episode Description 💰 In our seventh episode of 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 𝗔𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗, we are joined by special guest Michael Quinn Sullivan, Publisher at Texas Scorecard and discuss the state budget proposal that is moving through the Texas legislative process as well…

Episode Description 💰 In this episode of 𝗧𝗔𝗫𝗣𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞𝗦, we discuss the dueling property tax relief proposals prioritized by leadership in both legislative chambers. We also cover other pro-taxpayer legislation making its way through the process, including the proposed ban…

On Monday, the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee considered legislation seeking to ban the practice of taxpayer-funded lobbying statewide. Though the legislation was left pending, it is likely to be passed out of committee and considered by the overall Senate…

Episode Description 💰 In our fifth episode of 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 𝗔𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗, we discuss the Texas Property Tax Relief Act of House Bill 2 being heard in the Texas House Ways & Means Committee as well as the proposed ban on…

A recent report from the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) indicates that an increasing amount of taxpayer money is being spent by local governments for the purposes of hiring contract lobbyists to go to Austin. The report indicates that upwards…

The 88th Legislative Session Is Nearly Here It is that time again. An odd-numbered year has begun, so we are just days away from the 88th Legislative Session beginning. So much has occurred since the last time the Legislature met,…

With the 88th Legislative Session set to begin in January, we are increasingly asked by taxpayers and lawmakers alike what winning looks like to Texans for Fiscal Responsibility. That is what we are going to discuss in this article. As…

Episode Description 💰 In this episode of 𝗧𝗔𝗫𝗣𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞𝗦, we briefly discuss the myriad of bills being filed by state lawmakers ahead of the upcoming 88th Legislative Session and our recent interview with Russell Bennett who helps manage an organization…

On Monday, the first day by which Texas state lawmakers could prefile legislation ahead of the 88th Legislative Session, newly elected State Senator-elect Mayes Middleton filed legislation seeking to ban the practice of taxpayer-funded lobbying. Middleton, himself a TFR Taxpayer…

This week, the Senate Committee on Local Government met to deal with a list of issues and charges, some of which involved property taxes, taxpayer-funded lobbying, and appraisal reform. In many ways, this was the Senate version of the charges…