Texans have long valued fiscal integrity and transparency in government. Yet today, it appears a deep-pocketed casino giant is trying to hijack one local election and buy political power right here in the Lone Star State. Situated in the southwest…

Testimony on HB 4568 The 79th Texas Legislature established the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program (TMIIIP), also known as the Film Incentive Program, in 2005. Since then, star-struck legislators have thrown well over $100 million of Texas taxpayer money…

Introduction We’re proud Texans. We believe in family, freedom, and personal responsibility. We trust that parents, not bureaucrats, know what’s best for their children. And we understand that good stewardship of tax dollars means investing in what works, not simply…

Wherever you turn these days, Texas politicians are claiming that they are spending $51 billion on property tax relief. The problem is that the $51 billion figure has no connection to reality. For at least two reasons. First, if they…

“This week, I helped pass the most conservative Texas House budget in history.” Texas Republican Rep. Jared Patterson posted that message after the Republican-led Texas House recently passed its 2026–27 budget version CSSB 1. He and other Republicans also claimed…

In the early hours of Friday morning, the Texas House of Representatives passed SB 1, the proposed state budget for the 2026–27 biennium, after over 14 hours of debate that stretched from noon on April 10 into 3 a.m. on…

Taking a look at the budget and Texas’ $80 billion budget surplus Executive Summary Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar’s Biennial Revenue Estimate (BRE) biennium projects a budget surplus of $23.76 billion in state funds for the current 2024-25 fiscal biennium.  But…

The saga of Housing Finance Corporations (HFCs) in Texas, a system ripe with cronyism, tax exemptions, and insider deals, has taken another troubling turn. Following our last report, the legislative maneuvering has continued with new developments exposing the entrenched interests…

The machinery of government should not be used to facilitate the financial operations of private organizations—regardless of their mission or membership. While state and local governments exist to serve the people of Texas, they were never intended to act as…

This headline in last week’s Houston Chronicle captured all that is wrong with the Texas electricity market: Since 2013, when the Operating Reserve Demand Curve was approved, the Texas Legislature has sought to deal with the grid reliability problems caused…

Like most Texans, I am fed up with the rapidly growing Texas budget filled with waste, corporate cronyism, and funding for leftwing causes like DEI. Unlike most Texans, I am able to go to the Texas Capitol and testify against…

Texas’ state government has a $24 billion surplus and a $28.5 billion Rainy Day Fund. Instead of using this overcollected taxpayer money to substantially cut taxes, government spending, and regulations, the 89th Texas Legislature is often advancing legislation in this…

As the 89th Texas Legislature mulls over the terrible mistake of legalizing the lottery in the Lone Star State, Las Vegas Sands, a mega-casino conglomerate and multi-million dollar lobbying group, hosted a town hall in Irving regarding their development plans…

Gambling and Casinos are the Wrong Choice for Texas Families In the 89th legislative session, the topic of expanding gambling in Texas has once again reared its ugly head. From casinos to the lottery, proponents claim this will create jobs,…

HB 3 Is a Good Start, But More Is Needed. Today, the Texas House Committee on Public Education is hearing testimony (watch here) on HB 3, the school choice bill in the House. This could be the first school choice…