NEWS
Let The Sunlight Shine
Three right-thinking members of the legislature are recommending that more House and Senate votes be recorded, and therefore subject to public review. State Rep. Dan Branch (R-Dallas), State Rep. Brian McCall (R-Plano), and State Rep. Tony Goolsby (R-Dallas), have filed several pieces of legislation that would mandate more sunlight in the legislative process.
Rare political courage on display
Unfortunately, taxpayers are still on the hook for even more bad pending and bad policy.
More recorded votes good for taxpayers
The House's State Affairs Committee is expected today to hear testimony regarding a series of bills that would significantly open the legislative process to taxpayer and voter scrutiny. In the past, many important votes have been held as "voice votes," allowing lawmakers the luxurious shield of not having to defend actions that are either unpopular or costly, or both. Requiring the legislature to take more recorded votes is good for Texas' voters, taxpayers and future.
America’s Most Irresponsible
The Drudge Report is today noting that the U.S. Comptroller, David Walker, will tell 60 Minutes on Sunday that Medicare is on a course to bankrupt the United States. He says that the president's prescription drug plan, "is probably the most fiscally irresponsible piece of legislation since the 1960s." Way to go, President Bush. Oh, and all the Republican lackeys who went along with it. Great job, fellas!
House Committee Unanimously Hangs Up on Telephone Tax
The Lone Star Report brings us the following good news:
The House Regulated Industries committee unanimously voted Feb. 21 to 
eliminate the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF). The tax on consumers’ phone bill was created in 1995 to help wire schools, libraries and colleges for the Internet. TIF was supposed to end after 10 years or after it raised $1.5 billion, whichever came first. However in 2005, the Legislature removed the tax’s expiration date. Since 2003, the tax was used to fund general revenue and is no longer used for its original purpose.
Lower State Taxes & Spending Equal Less Poverty, Rising Tide Lifts All Boats
A recent study by the 
Goldwater Institute has demonstrated that low-tax and low-spending states are more successful at reducing poverty than their high-tax, high-spending counterparts. As President Reagan noted, a rising tide lifts all boats.
How much to keep Hollywood away?
The Austin American Statesman is calling on lawmakers to enact a slush fund that would attract more Hollywood liberals to Texas.
Busting the Cap for Tax Relief
February 19, 2007
Dear Members of the Texas House:
For the sake of taxpayers, you and your colleagues should vote to bust the state’s spending cap. It is the opinion of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility that this is the only way Texans can be assured of receiving meaningful property tax relief.
We make the important distinction that tax relief should begin before reaching the cap, and then extend beyond the cap.
Senator Nichols Stands Up for Homeowners
The Athens Review (Texas not Greece) reported today that Senator Robert Nichols, a Republican freshman representing Northeast Texas, has filed two bills to benefit homeowners. First, SB575 would cap appraisal increases at 5 percent for homeowners, though it would not apply to rented property. Second, SB576 would prohibit governments from confiscating private property in order to create parks and hike and bike trails. Â
Bust the spending cap
Sullivan tells lawmakers: It’s okay to bust the cap for tax relief
Texas Senators today voted to bust the current spending cap so as to provide more property tax relief with the surplus than they might have otherwise. Before their vote, Michael Quinn Sullivan sent the following letter.
Shenandoah Texas May Set Record for Per Capita Cost of Taxpayer-Funded Lobbyists
The Houston Chronicle recently reported that the town of Shenandoah Texas has hired taxpayer-funded lobbyists for $30,000 this session.