The Latest
Senate Candidate Says Fraudulent Donation to Speaker Phelan Made in His Name
Texas State Election Code states “A person may not knowingly make or authorize a political expenditure in the name of or on behalf of another” without their knowledge.
Fort Worth Police Plan to Aggressively Pursue Arrests in Fentanyl-related Deaths
Sgt. Benjamin Scott Banes said Fort Worth saw an average of three fatal fentanyl poisonings weekly in 2023 alone.
Pfizer Injects Funds Into Texas Lawmakers Campaign Coffers
Lawmakers and political action committees made their latest campaign finance disclosures this week, and one big pharmaceutical company’s political giving was in the spotlight.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Endorses More House Challengers
Paxton says that Texas must fight to protect conservative values from “liberal Republicans.”
The Archive
Pork in the State Budget?
The McAllen Monitor reported that the new $150 billion House budget for the 2008-09 biennium includes some arguably pork barrel expenditures - most of those mentioned are earmarks for projects in the Rio Grande Valley. Among the taxpayer-funded projects mentioned are:...
‘Cut and Run’ Republicans?
So the cut-and-run retreat of Republicans from conservative values and principles continued this week. While the modern French are widely known for a willingness to surrender before a battle is fought, it seems Republicans in the Texas House are even willing to...
Lower Than Expected Business Tax Revenues No Reason to Raise It
Comptroller Susan Combs this week estimated that the new state business tax on gross revenues would bring in $500 to $800 million less than expected. This estimate is based on voluntary submissions made by many affected businesses. However, many business, particularly...
Protecting Texas’ Free Market
For the last decade, Texas has been the national leader in making moves toward substantive, free-market reforms as means to solve problems and improve the quality of life.  T exas’ accomplishments have played an important role in helping other states, and even...
Rep. Hancock Seeks Death Penalty for Unused Life Insurance Tax
Representative Kelly Hancock , a Tarrant County Republican, has filed House Bill 1849 that will eliminate a tax imposed by the Texas Department of Insurance to Texas life insurers that now serves no purpose. In 2007, the state of Texas will collect $8.9 million in...
Messing With Your Business
We know now that the state’s Texas Youth Commission was obscenely managed. The Texas Lottery was a scandal ridden mess a while back. The abuses of the Children’s Health Insurance Program are a lesson in lunacy. Name a government agency, and it’s been scandal...
Where There’s Smoke, There’s A Tax
 Nothing is worse than having a fire, with no way to put it out. There is a clear public purpose to be served in using tax revenues to fight fires. That's why people can, with a local vote, implement an Emergency Services District. These districts levy property taxes...
Just Stop Taking Our Money!
In case you missed it, the Texas House this week approved the elimination of the Texas Infrastructure Fund tax. This egregious little tax has been levied on your phone bill for a decade. Everyone agrees the job the TIF tax was levied to do was finished (wire rural...
Democrat Strama Files Fiscally Conservative Legislation
Mark Strama, a Democrat representing North Austin and Pflugerville, is proving that he is not beholden to liberal orthodoxy when it comes to fiscal responsibility. He has filed the following bills: HB 2966 mandates that funds collected from specialty license plate...