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Legislators Should Say No to State Version of Ledbetter Act

When Barack Obama became president, the first bill he signed into law was one that validated the concerns of misguided leftist feminists (I know, that seems awfully repetitive).  The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act changed the way disputes over discriminatory pay can be...

A Scoreboard the Size of a House in Weslaco ISD

Here we are, the legislative session finally winding down, and most of think we'll be able to take a breather and loosen the grip on our wallets.  Well, not so fast, folks, because government doesn't really take a break - it's just a matter of which government is...

Campus Carry needs your push now!

Texans finally achieved a House of Representatives floor vote on campus carry Saturday and it passed! You can see Rep. Allen Fletcher’s HB 972 and amendments here. Now to trouble in the state senate; Senator Whitmire (D-Houston), a past strong supporter of campus...

House Ways and Means Needs to Act on CAB Bills

Local government debt is a problem. Every time someone says that, a well-meaning local politician from a small town appears, waving his hand in the air to get your attention.  "Not here!" he says, urgently.  "Not in our town!" Maybe not, in his town.  But local...

Clock Ticking Against Transparency

It has been noted far and wide that the Texas House is moving slower than molasses in January this session.  Here we are, mid-April, and the House calendar for Thursday, April 18 features just 7 second-reading bills and 7 third-reading bills - though many, many more...

Too Many Holes To Fill

In my two-and-a-half year odyssey through state government, the forces for more programs, more regulations, more laws, and more agencies never cease to amaze. Every day in Austin, lobbyists and special interest groups show up in my office, on my cell phone, and in my...

Session’s Big Gambling Bill Introduced – SJR 64

Sneaky, sneaky.  Though the bill filing deadline has passed and the real work of session is in full swing, Senator John Carona (R-Dallas) managed to get permission to file SJR 64, a constitutional amendment to create the Texas Gaming Commission and authorizing casino...

Texas Senate cowardly on term limits bill

The Texas Senate passed, in a 27 to 4 vote, a term limits proposal that if passed by the House would go to a public Constitutional Amendment vote. Senator Kevin Eltife of Tyler defended criticism of his bill by saying “his bill doesn’t leave it to the Legislature to...

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Funding Waste in Higher Ed

The State of Texas isn’t the only government entity using your money for venture capital schemes. The University of Texas now spends millions of public dollars “investing” in student start-up companies. Since 2011, the University of Texas has been using public dollars...