Advocates are criticizing state officials for calling the package the “largest property tax cut in Texas history” when it’s actually the second-largest.
State
GOP Lawmaker Files Bill to Prevent Lawmakers From Abandoning Their Responsibilities
The bill would set a limit to the amount of unexcused absences a lawmaker can have before their seat is declared vacant.
Gov. Abbott’s ‘Ambiguous’ Immigration Order Temporarily Halted by Federal Judge
Texas governor criticized for how he wrote and implemented executive orders aimed at border security.
Citizens Remember Conservative Activist H Scott Apley
“To know H Scott Apley was to love him and his deep love for Texas liberty.”
More Special Sessions on the Horizon, but What Will Change?
Republican leadership has been reluctant to do anything to compel absent lawmakers to return. How will they bring them back to the table?
MOST RECENT
Gov. Abbott Planning State Takeover of Austin Police
“The state will fix this.”
Texas Capitol Set to Reopen, No Details on Protocol
Lawmakers have reportedly considered temperature checks, COVID testing, and limiting capacity in the galleries and committee rooms.
Will Dade Phelan Allow Democrats to Chair Key Committees?
Four Republican lawmakers implore Phelan: “Inform Republican members on your intentions regarding giving Democrats power over our Republican priorities prior to your election to the position of speaker.”
Abbott: Vaccines are ‘Voluntary, Never Required’
At a press conference in Austin, the governor said there would be “no more shutdowns” and that the Capitol will be reopened.
Conversation with Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar
In an interview, Comptroller Glenn Hegar contends the state’s...
Ellis: Texas Data
Despite predictions of a “blue wave” hitting Texas and putting the state in play for Joe Biden, Republicans once again swept the competitive races.
Pardo Family Vindicated After Abuse From CPS
“CPS protects thousands of children every year, but they didn’t protect the Pardo family or Drake; they traumatized them.”
Cain Asks AG Paxton for Guidance on Capitol Closure
Additionally, Cain asked Paxton whether lawmakers were constitutionally required to vote and debate physically and in-person.
West: An Attorney’s (and Working Parent’s) 2020 Holiday Legal Wish List
It’s time for each state legislature to resume its proper rule-making authority and for governors (some who don’t even follow their own orders) to rightfully step aside.
Texas House Sets Protocols for Day One of the Legislative Session
All attendees will be asked to take a COVID-19 screening test before entering the Texas Capitol.
ARCHIVE
You Can Vote Today to Return the Surplus
In a matter of mo
nths, your legislator will hopefully, after hearing from you, vote to return the surplus to taxpayers. However, you can vote today in an online poll sponsored by the Houston Business Journal which asks respondents how the Texas surplus should be allocated.
Rep. Paxton Files Amendment to Allow Governor to Reduce Wasteful Spending
Today, State Rep. Ken Paxton filed a proposed constitutional amendment (House Joint Resolution 46) that would give the Governor authority to cut wasteful spending in the budget. Currently, the Constitution allows the Governor to exercise a line item veto over individual budget items.
Taxpayers urged to contact lawmakers
AUSTIN, Texas – More than 29,000 households in eight senatorial districts are receiving mail about the importance returning Texas’ record budget surplus to taxpayers. The president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility said taxpayers deserve to see further tax relief at the top of the Legislature’s priorities.
“There are many in Austin arguing that programs, agencies and bureaucracies ‘deserve’ those funds first, with taxpayers lucky to get any leftovers,†said Michael Quinn Sullivan. “Too often the voices of hard-working Texans are drowned out by the shrill demands of special interests seeking more from the taxpayers’ wallet.â€
Rep. Hughes Files Bill to Shine the Light on State Agency Expenditures
Today, State Rep. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) filed House Bill 640 to require all state agencies to post a list of their expenditures online. The bill states:
Each state agency that maintains a generally accessible Internet site or for which a generally accessible Internet site is maintained shall post on the site all expenditures made by the agency. The posting must include the purpose for which each expenditure is made.
We applaud Rep. Hughes for filing this legislation, which was also part of Governor Rick Perry’s budget reform proposal. It is also important that each agency categorize and post expenditures in one, easy-to-understand format. Comptroller Susan Combs has expressed interest in working with the various state agencies to bring about a day when all agencies use the same codes to classify expenditures. This will foster efficiencies in administering and auditing programs that involve multiple state agencies.
It Stinks for Texans Sued by Their Appraisal District for Contesting Their Appraisals
The Houston C
hronicle has a disturbing piece about some Wharton County property taxpayers who find themselves as defendants in a lawsuit filed by their appraisal district after they successfully obtained reductions from the Appraisal Review Board (ARB). The chief of their appraisal district disagrees with the reductions made by the very people she appointed to the ARB so now she is hauling these taxpayers into district court, forcing them to incur legal fees in the process.
Governor Perry declares emergency on tax relief
 AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Governor Rick Perry today issued an emergency declaration on the issue of tax relief. Â
The president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, Michael Quinn Sullivan, said lawmakers should view tax relief as their highest priority this session.Â
Conservative Leaders: Return the Surplus!
Leaders of seven conservative organizations today called on legislators to "return the certified surplus to Texas taxpayers."
Earlier this week the state's new Comptroller, Susan Combs, certified for legislative use a $14.3 billion surplus.
Signing the letters are the heads of: Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, Texas Conservative Coaltion Research Institute, Texas Public Policy Foundation, National Federation of Independent Business, Free Market Foundation, Americans for Prosperity — Texas, and the Young Conservatives of Texas.
Return Surplus To The Taxpayer
Texas Comptroller Susan Combs today officially certified the state’s surplus at $14.3 billion. The president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, Michael Quinn Sullivan, offered the following statement:
Remember the Taxpayer!
In responding to the official revenue estimate issued by Comptroller Susan Combs, Gov. Perry said, “This surplus should reinforce our commitment to the principles and policies that helped create it. State leaders must continue to be fiscally disciplined, we must continue to set clear but limited priorities, and we must remember that every expenditure affects not only those who receive a government service, but also the taxpayers who pay for it.â€
That big pile of money..
That big pile of money belongs to Texas’ taxpayers. That legislators aren’t falling all over themselves leading into the session to return it completely to the taxpayers is more than a little disappointing. By spending the surplus, they will be taxing us again, and again. Hear the song (mp3)…