State
July Saw Spike In Illegal Alien Encounters Over June
Fiscal year 2023 has already seen over 1.9 million encounters at the southern border.
Federal Ruling in Galveston County Trial Will Impact Redistricting Across Texas
The county’s challenge of “coalition” districts could reverse decades of race-centric line-drawing in Texas.
Dan Patrick’s New Counsel Steps Down After Conflicts Revealed
Brown said the impeachment proceedings are “far too important to the State of Texas for there to be any distractions involving allegations of favoritism or personal bias on my part.
Dan Patrick’s New Counsel Has ‘Close Relationship’ With Those Pushing Paxton Impeachment
The campaign donations support what Harris County sources describe as a close relationship between Marc Brown and the House investigators charged with removing Paxton from office.
State Archive
Making a Statement (in the Journal)
Several members made a statement on some of the most ideological votes cast in the House during the regular session. No, not that kind of “statement.” The kind of statement that goes into the official journal documenting they meant to vote another way. It happens from...
Bureaucrats Set to See Pay Hikes
Come September 1, many of the state’s top-level bureaucrats are set to see some sweetheart pay raises. Of course, they come without any attempts to make state agencies more efficient with your tax dollars. Most state employees are set to see their pay stubs increase...
Letter to Governor Rick Perry
To the Honorable Rick Perry, Governor of the State of Texas: The just-ended legislative session grows government too much and offers too little tax relief. Download PDF of letter to Gov. Perry. Call his office at (512) 463-4630. The 83rd Texas Legislature appropriated...
Adding ESF to Endowment to the Call
The Legislature may be using the special session to talk about redistricting maps for the next week or so, but that isn’t stopping two state senators from throwing out ideas for generating more transportation funding. State Sens. Tommy Williams (R–The Woodlands) and...
Session Ends With a Wince
With all key pieces of the budget puzzle squarely in place, the regular session of the 83rd Regular Session adjourned sine die (“without another day”) yesterday. This session will be remembered for the dramatic increase in spending, little reforms, and lackluster tax...
Cards Come Back
According to several members of the Texas House, allies of House Speaker Joe Straus are distributing "pledge cards" to legislators. The message is clear: promise—in writing—to support Joe Straus for speaker in 2015, or face retribution from the lobby. It had been...
Perry Veto Protects Texans From Official Intimidation
Texans are again safe from the threat of official harassment and intimidation simply by virtue of their contributing to nonprofit entities that speak out politically, thanks to a veto by Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Gov. Perry vetoed Senate Bill 346, which the bill authors...
System Benefit Fraud
With lawmakers still scrabbling to make a Faustian deal for a mammoth state budget that is long on spending and short on tax relief, electric rate-payers aren't going to be getting a rebate from an un-utilized fund for which we've been overcharged. The good news: the...
Lawmakers Should Hit “Reset”
Last night’s passage of HB 1025 and SJR 1 signal the “budget deal” has now been set in motion. In light of both chamber’s agreement to pull down nearly $4 billion from the Rainy Day Fund, members should take a moment to review why the RDF was created in the first...