The 89th Texas Legislative Session came to an end on June 2nd, culminating with several meaningful wins for fiscal conservatives across the Lone Star State, but also leaving them with much to be desired and far more work to be…

Taxpayers should be alarmed at final 2026–27 budget passed by the Texas Legislature. What started as competing proposals from the Senate and House has ended in a bloated conference committee budget that dramatically expands state government beyond what key measures like…

Texas Taxpayers Need a Break State Funds Spending Up $25 Billion The Texas Legislature is on the verge of adopting its final budget for the 2026-27 fiscal biennium. Few people are aware of this, but that budget consists of two…

On May 27th—the final day for bills to pass on second reading in the Texas House—fifteen Republican lawmakers broke with conservative principles and sided with Democrats to pass Senate Bill 646 by State Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas), a bloated and…

Many Texas politicians are claiming the proposed 2026-27 Texas budget is conservative. But the facts tell a different story. Examples of poor fiscal discipline in the proposed 2026-27 Texas budget include more than $50 billion of new state funds spending,…

Texas is still growing—but it’s no longer growing right. In a state known for dynamism, this year’s budget feels more like a bureaucratic monument than a launchpad for prosperity. Despite historic surpluses, lawmakers have chosen spending sprees over structural reform…

Spending in the proposed 2026-27 Texas budget is very Democrat friendly. Fifty-seven of the 62 Democrats in the Texas House voted for the budget; all 11 Democrats in the Texas Senate voted for it. And why shouldn’t they? In the…

Despite its conservative image, Texas is a haven for crony capitalism. Texans provide billions of dollars for big and small business and special interests groups through multiple channels, including property tax abatements for manufacturers and subsidies in the Texas budget. …

While Washington under Trump sought to “drain the swamp,” Texas lawmakers are filling it back up. The state’s latest budget is a glaring indictment of government excess, and it’s missing a critical weapon against waste: DOGE, the Delivery of Government…

The Texas budget is put together using smoke and mirrors. Everything about the appropriations process is designed to hide the total cost and true size of the state government from Texas taxpayers. For instance, the Legislative Budget Board shows that…

Introduction The Texas Constitution contains two limits on state government spending. One of them is a balanced budget amendment, known as the Pay-As-You-Go Limit. Because of this, Texas cannot use deficit spending to support most state expenditures. While this is…

When the Texas House and Texas Senate vote on whether to approve the final versions of House Bill 500 and Senate Bill 1, Figure 1 shows that they will be voting on whether to approve more than $53 billion in…

Since 2019, including what is proposed this session, the Texas Legislature has increased spending on public schools by about $23 billion in the name of property tax relief. It has done little to help Texans; during that period, Figure 1…

On April 11, 26 Texas House members voted against the budget bill, Senate Bill 1 (SB 1). That was the most no votes against a Texas budget since 29 members voted against the budget in 2013. Nineteen of the no…

“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…