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Decision Texas, Houston, Local
Houston Voters Reject $4.4 Billion School Bond
The bond would have cost $8.8 billion to pay off.
Republicans Sweep Statewide Judicial Elections in Texas
Republicans won all three Supreme Court seats up for election and all three Court of Criminal Appeals seats.
Republicans Flip Two South Texas House Seats
Denise Villalobos and Don McLaughlin have flipped longtime Democrat seats in South Texas.
Republicans Defend Two Bexar County House Seats
Two House seats in the San Antonio area will remain Republican.
The Archive
Texas CPS should clean up its act
What’s going on with Texas Child Protective Services? No doubt most at the agency are hard working folk trying to protect children from bad situations but, in the last couple of years enough bad things have been alleged to make you wonder if there is a culture problem...
Get Two Free Tickets to a UT, A&M, or Texas Tech Game*
*Must run for office and win to participate. Note: This post has been updated to include a series of "Best Of" documents highlighting some of the more interesting documents found by Empower Texans. In light of the recent scandals surrounding politicians and our...
Tarrant Regional Water District Sued Over Election Shell Game
You wouldn’t think that a Water Board could cause so many problems for Texans. Perhaps that's precisely why, much like rebellious toddlers, some public officials at TRWD insist on overstepping the legal boundaries designed to hold them accountable. We’ve already...
Comptroller Delivers Despite Legislative Failure
We recently criticized the state for creating a hopelessly complex information maze that keeps unsuspecting Texans in the dark, and enables local officials to further fuel their borrowing addiction. The State Comptroller’s office, headed by transparency champion Susan...
Witch Hunt Denies Wallace Hall His Right to Cross-Examine
Monday, the House Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations (or as I like to call it, the “He’s a witch! Get him! Committee”) met at the Texas Capitol. This is a committee that has been tasked by Joe Straus with investigating the activities of...
Water Board Shrouded in Secrecy
Despite previous claims from district board members, staff and legal counsel, the Tarrant Regional Water District is required by law to make committee meetings open to the public. Until very recently the public was not notified of, or allowed to attend, these...
Taxpayers Bamboozled Over Bonds
The issuance of debt by government officials is a passive form of taxation, because debt issued today will require taxes on future income. And because borrowing requires the payment of interest, the cost to taxpayers is typically twice the amount borrowed and spent....
Dropping Fs
[UPDATED AT END WITH NEW DROP-OUTS.] Another “F” has dropped out of the Texas House with the announcement that State Rep. Rob Orr (R-Burleson) won’t be seeking re-election. He joins a growing list of low-rated lawmakers opting to get out rather than face stiff...
Murphy Turner & Associates Ordered To Pay $41,000 Bill
A state district judge in Bexar County today ordered Murphy Turner & Associates to pay $41,000 in discovery costs in a trademark infringement case. The lawsuit results from alleged infringement on the Empower Texans name "Texans for Fiscal Responsibility." The suit...