With the power to determine all of the committee chairs and the assignment of bills, the speaker of the Texas House controls whether conservative reforms live or die in the legislative process. Over the last three legislative sessions, conservative members of the...
As 2016 comes to a close, here are five of the most important stories we covered this year… And some questions to be asking in 2017. #5. Ethically challenged agency undermines First Amendment A rogue state agency has been quietly working to undermine the rights...
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office has confirmed they are reviewing a complaint claiming a commissioner violated the law by creating a government job and installing his wife. Commissioner Charlie Riley proposed creating a new administrative position in...
Local economic development deals must be brought out of the shadows and into public view. Basic reforms would make deals between politicians and corporations more transparent by subjecting them to Texas’ existing transparency laws. In 1999, state law was changed to...
With his appointment of Texas Racing Commission Chairman Rolando Pablos as Secretary of State set to take effect on January 5th, Gov. Greg Abbott will once again be tasked with picking a chairman for the beleaguered horse and dog racing regulator. Abbott appointed...
Texas Republicans had the opportunity to shut down the political left’s assault on basic moral principles, but dodged the fight and thereby emboldened a national fight that now has parents fighting to keep boys out of their daughters’ bathrooms, locker rooms, and...
Texas’ public sector unions have long fought to protect their ability to have government entities collect and remit their member’s union dues, but State Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston) has filed a bill to end that practice. While Texas is a right to work state, public...
New motions filed in a federal lawsuit brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton severely undermine the agency’s case and further discredit a related criminal prosecution in Collin County. On Wednesday, Paxton’s...
Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking Texas’ highest court to strike down municipal “bag bans” statewide. Earlier today, Attorney General Ken Paxton filed an amicus brief with the Texas Supreme Court, urging the court to review the facts surrounding Laredo’s plastic...
A school district is stonewalling conservative activists who are making simple open records requests, demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars before they will turn over records related to the district’s controversial bathroom and shower policies. Jonathan Saenz...
With the return of the Texas Legislature less than a month away, many lawmakers have been busy pre-filing legislation. Few have filed more than State Rep. Tony Dale (R–Cedar Park) and his most recent bill is very encouraging. Today, Dale filed HB 580 and HB 581 which...
One prominent Austin lobby group has been in the tank for bigger government for a long time, but their vanity is now taking them even deeper down the drain. In a recent lobbying push, the state’s ostensibly pro-business lobby group, the Texas Association of Business,...
Due to the ambiguous nature of Texas voter residency requirements, developers and local taxing entities are using a controversial “rent-a-voter” scheme to pass millions of dollars in bond debt and taxes without needing to secure the approval of the general population....
SEIU Texas has filed for bankruptcy, just months after being found responsible for utilizing deceptive tactics aimed at driving a Houston cleaning company out of business. During the trial brought about by Professional Janitorial Services, it became evident that SEIU...
During the month of December there’s no shortage of celebrations, religious and secular. But while taxpayers are busy with the merry-making, local governments are festooning the books with new debt. This is the governing equivalent of the Grinch sneaking in to steal...
A Midland attorney turned stay-at-home mom is truly making her mark on Texas. From starting a grammar school, then co-authoring a book, to unveiling the cloudy labyrinth of Texas political dollars, Tracy Marshall’s efforts extend far beyond Midland’s city limits and...
Fortunately for Alamo City residents, San Antonio City Council yesterday voted to extend a ridesharing-friendly regulatory framework which will allow companies such as Uber and Lyft to continue operating in the city. Over the past few years the relationship between...
In a mystifying attempt at “outreach,” a taxpayer funded municipal health department has decorated park trees with…condoms and lube. Keeping with Austin’s penchant for finding senseless and crass ways to spend public money, Austin’s taxpayer-funded Public Health...
Taxpayer watchdog groups are urging Texas lawmakers to embrace a cost-saving method for construction projects that could lead to big savings for taxpayers. But one senator’s conflict of interest may present a major obstacle. This session the Texas Senate will take up...
Early in 2016, Gov. Greg Abbott declared genuine ethics reform his top legislative priority for the upcoming 85th session of the Texas Legislature. Abbott had sharp words for representatives in the House who might be plotting to kill his reform agenda, as they did in...
