On November 7th, 2017, Texans will vote on seven proposed amendments to the state’s constitution. Texans for Fiscal Responsibility offers our views and recommendations. PROPOSITION 1 What it reads: “The constitutional amendment authorizing the Legislature to provide...
Since the latter half of 2016, Houston Independent School District has been looking at having to send funds to the state as part of Texas’ controversial “Robin Hood” school funding scheme. However, the arrival of Hurricane Harvey could allow the district to keep some,...
Mayor George Fuller wants to make it very clear that he is not opposed to forced annexations, and never was. During public comments at a McKinney City Council meeting Tuesday night, Fuller was asked to honor a campaign promise to oppose forced annexations. Fuller...
The past month has seen a tumultuous series of events at Brownsville City Hall since an audio recording of Brownsville City Commissioner Cesar De Leon containing racist and derogatory comments towards his community, the district attorney’s office, and other...
After a series of contentious budget workshops which often turned into heated debates, the San Jacinto County Commissioners Court approved a budget for the fiscal 2018 year. The final budget adopted by the court ended up being raised to $10,365,000, up from last...
Texas taxpayers are forced to pay millions each year to a government-lobbying group that serves as the umbrella organization for public sector unions. In other words, taxpayers are not only forced to fund their opposition—they’re forced to subsidize the political...
With the retirement of one liberal Republican state representative looming, a Democrat running to fill his spot is already fawning over Speaker Joe Straus and his record. James Talarico, a democrat running to replace former State Rep. Larry Gonzales (R-Round Rock) in...
Despite Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s insistence to move forward on his securities trial, the start date has unjustly been delayed, yet again, because of political theater and prosecutorial games. Two years ago, Paxton was indicted on fraud charges for failing...
The call for Brownsville City Commissioner Cesar De Leon’s resignation came two weeks after leaked audio recording of De Leon’s racist and derogatory comments towards the Cameron County District Attorney’s office, his local community, and fellow city commissioners....
One Republican state representative is so upset over local activists exposing his poor record in Austin that he’s threatened local party leaders with a lawsuit. The threat was levied in response to the county party’s executive committee’s consideration of a...
Dozens of people filled the Mesquite City Council chamber Monday night to explain why they oppose the city’s rush to forcibly annex county property owners into the city limits, and into city taxes and regulations. Mesquite is trying to rush through hundreds of forced...
One of Houston’s Harvey-related contracts is set to come up for a council vote this week, but City Controller Chris Brown is raising concerns over that contract and the city’s failure to validate it as per his office’s statutory standards. The $60 million contract –...
A third Republican candidate has entered the race for Texas State Representative in House District 62 in North Texas. Reginald “Reggie” B. Smith, Jr. announced his bid to represent the district, which encompasses Grayson, Fannin, and Delta counties, after...
Candy Noble is officially a candidate for Texas State Representative in House District 89. The Collin County Republican has been considering a run since the district’s current state representative Jodie Laubenberg (R-Murphy) announced last month that she isn’t seeking...
Another North Texas city is rushing to grab land while it still can – and another group of landowners who are mad about being railroaded is fighting back. The City of Mesquite is trying to rush through hundreds of forced annexations in Kaufman County before a new...
After days of sparring back and forth in the media, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner held a joint press conference on Friday to announce a $50 million check from the state’s disaster relief fund to the city to aid in recovery. The amount...
As activists mount a petition drive to address what they view as a problem with geographic representation on the school board, established interests are ignoring citizen concerns and pretending the issue doesn’t exist. The Round Rock Parents and Taxpayers Association,...
Long considered by judicial observers a likely pick for a high-profile federal bench, Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett was today nominated by President Trump for the federal judiciary. Willett is one of the most prominent jurists in the nation, both for his...
Three months ago, House Speaker Joe Straus violated a deep-rooted custom of Capitol politics when he urged a room full of school board members from across the state to not only make their voices heard at the Capitol, but also to “run for Senate.” Now, one of them is...
