State
Deliberation Begins in Ken Paxton Impeachment Trial
Paxton’s attorney Tony buzbee declared, “The Bush era in Texas ends today.”
Senate Prepares for Vote in Paxton Impeachment Trial
Both the prosecution and defense have rested their case.
Elon Musk Draws Attention to Border Crisis
“Is the public aware of the scale of the issue?” Musk posted on X.
Texas Leads the Nation in Challenging Explicit Books
Parents across the state raised concerns about more than 2,300 potentially explicit or inappropriate books.
State Archive
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...
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...
2013’s Biggest Disappointments
We’ve compared the scores of all incumbents in the 83rd Legislature compared what they scored in the 82nd session for taxpayers to see just who let them down the most. You’ll notice several of this session’s biggest drops in the House were members who received praise...
Culture of Clout-Abuse?
In less than 24 hours Texans heard the voice of our lieutenant governor trying to get his “step-niece-in-law” out of jail, and read the words of a powerful House committee chairman all-but admitting he used his influence to get his son into law school. Frankly, Lt....
Remembering Who Supported Medicaid Expansion
A recent trip to Texas by U.S. Health and Human Services Commissioner Kathleen Sebelius has prompted proponents of ObamaCare to beat a dead horse regarding Medicaid expansion. Remember, the Legislature issued a resounding “NO!” to the Obama administration this session...
Hilderbran for Comptroller?
Straus-appointed Ways and Means Chairman Harvey Hilderbran has officially thrown his name into the race for Texas Comptroller. What exactly should taxpayers expect if he’s elected as the chief steward of the state’s finances? You may recall earlier this session where...
Put Administrators Ahead Of Students
With more than 84 percent of Republican primary voters saying they wanted more academic freedom and parental choices in education, GOP members of the Texas House decided to maintain the status quo … and explicitly forbid any efforts to expand options for students and...
A Most Unethical Commission
It went about how you would have expected. We were in front of a kangaroo court accustomed to operating far outside the sunlight of public review. Thursday night’s “hearing” by the Texas Ethics Commission on the abusive complaints filed as political vendettas by two...
Joe Straus’ Lawyer Wants to be Your Next Ag Commissioner
Recently, Austin attorney Eric Opiela announced that he will be running to replace Todd Staples as your next Agriculture commissioner. “Who is Eric Opiela?” you might ask. He’s a twice-failed candidate for the Texas House, and a lawyer for Joe Straus. Mr. Opiela would...