Funny things can happen in the final days of the legislative session. Case in point: the effort of Byron Cook (R-Corsicana) to grant illegal immigrants the right to drive on Texas roads. Though Cook and Democrats teamed up to push the issue, the measure failed to...
On Wednesday, the Texas House will take up HB 100, a bill authorizing more than $3.4 billion for a funding mechanism called Tuition Revenue Bonds, used to finance construction of buildings on campuses of the state’s public universities. Taxpayers should encourage...
While the grassroots may disagree on the means from time to time, the end goal of the conservative movement remains the same: put government in its proper size and role in order to ensure that individual liberty is maximized. That includes our state government, where...
Is Speaker Joe Straus trying to run the Texas House like a Californian? Sounds like a silly question. He’s a Texan after all. And pointing out the all the mistakes our West Coast neighbors have made over the years has virtually become our unofficial state pastime. Any...
In attempts to defend those in power, Texas’ political media establishment often portrays members of the conservative movement – especially those critical of House Speaker Joe Straus – as extremists, seeking to turn Austin into a Washington, D.C.–style polarized...
An infamous parliamentary procedure historically ingrained into the rules of the Texas Senate, the two-thirds rule is used in modern times as a political tool to stifle good legislation. Instead of members of the majority passing bills advancing commonsense reform,...
Lubbock city council members are poised to adopt a citywide smoking ban that would potentially be one of the strictest in the entire state. Will Lubbock voters sit idly by while their city council imposes such harsh nanny-state regulations? Such inaction may signal...
In a recent letter, six Republican nominees for the Texas Senate put the members of the Texas Ethics Commission on notice – stating that taking action on a proposed rule-change before the commission would be an abuse of authority and an infringement on...
Using self-deprecating humor to make light of Texans’ frustrations with traffic congestion, Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott recently debuted a new ad highlighting his thoughts on future transportation funding, including his view on legislative “pet...
Taxpayers in SD 28 looking to elect a conservative in the upcoming special election to replace Sen. Robert Duncan have two names to avoid: Delwin Jones and Greg Wortham. Jones, a former state representative from Lubbock, was one of the most receptive legislators to...