Read Texas News
Read the latest news in the State of Texas from Texas Scorecard
The Latest Texas News
Former Houston Public Works Manager Sentenced to 10 Years for Bribery
Seven people were charged over their roles in a Houston water contract corruption scandal.
‘Qualified Immunity’ Arguments On Trial in Lorena ISD Sex Abuse Case
At the Fifth Circuit, defense counsel argued that Principal April Jewell should not be liable for a teacher under her direction who victimized a 5-year-old student.
Pay Them to Go Away: A TEC Cautionary Tale of Katy Christian Magazine vs The Link Letter
Without meaningful reform, the Texas Ethics Commission will continue to target those least able to fight back while letting well-connected actors off the hook.
Report: Divest From America’s Enemies
American states—including Texas—have invested a total of $68 billion in China.
The Archive
Bottom of the Barrel
At the conclusion of the 82nd Legislative Session three Republican House members found themselves with voting records that abjectly failed Texas taxpayers. Reps. John Davis, Allan Ritter, and Dee Margo were the bottom of the barrel - all scoring a failing "F" on the...
Birdwell Endorsed By TFR
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility endorsed State Sen. Brian Birdwell for re-election in 2012 campaign season. "Sen. Birdwell made a promise to protect the pocketbooks of Texas' hard-working taxpayers and to put a lid on excessive government spending, and that is...
Stripping Away Transparency
During the special session, State Representatives Erwin Cain (R-Como) and Bill Zedler (R-Arlington) successfully added amendments to SB 1, the omnibus fiscal matters bill, which respectively increased transparency in the state budget and local school districts....
Higher Ed Is Burning
Much like the story of the Roman Emperor Nero fiddling while Rome burned, the UT administration is standing idly by while the cost of tuition continues to skyrocket. Instead of offering a plan of their own, they’re choosing to “fiddle” away with rhetoric designed only...
School funding equity doesn’t lead to better schools
Would school funding equity make for better schools, rural, urban and suburban? Let’s read comments made in a feature story from Abilene’s KTAB in which State Rep. Susan King and former big-spending Clyde ISD superintendent Gail Haterius push school funding equity....
Voting Classes
Politicians and insiders like to talk about the advantages that come with seniority. Unfortunately, those advantages rarely accrue to the benefit of taxpayers. Yet there are important exceptions to that rule, which should remind voters why we must carefully consider...
Index: Fresh Faces Shine
With a hefty number of new faces added to the ranks of Texas' legislative body politic this session in the wake of what could be described as a "conservative landslide" in November 2010, many folks want to know, "How did the freshmen do?" This legislative session...
Sen. Duncan was for it, before he killed it.
On Tuesday Texas Governor Rick Perry issued a tersely worded statement blaming State Senator Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) for the failure of Sanctuary Cities legislation within SB 1 in the Called Session. “As the special session appears to be winding down, I am...
Index: Legislature’s Wasted Opportunity
In a legislative session controlled by a rhetorically conservative super-majority, they accomplished the bare fiscal minimum but did little to control future government growth. This is reflected on the 2011 Fiscal Responsibility Index, with legislators averaging a...