The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-partisan research institute. The Foundation’s mission is to promote and defend liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas by educating and affecting policymakers and the Texas public policy debate with academically sound research and outreach.
Proposals to expand Texas’ energy efficiency program ignore the fact that there is simply no way, given the existing data and methodology, to properly determine the efficiency—or inefficiency—of the program.
Texans no longer have the right to use their land without approval from the state. Regulatory restrictions on property use—even more than eminent domain abuse—are the main threat to private property rights today.
In allocating limited correctional resources to maximize public safety returns for each taxpayer dollar spent, it is important to know which offenders pose the greatest risk and what strategies are most effective in reducing that risk for various types of offenders.
Texas faces some significant transportation challenges, but much of the crisis can be averted if the state rethinks and re-prioritizes transportation funding. This policy perspective examines some alternatives to generate additional transportation revenue without raising taxes and fees.
In the current fiscal climate and anticipated state budget shortfall, it is more critical than ever that Texas policymakers have accurate information about public school expenditures, understand where the money is actually spent, analyze major trends, and know the corresponding results in student achievement.
Texas Insurance Market Still Unprepared for Hurricane Season A major hurricane blowing through Texas this year would likely leave consumers with few choices and high rates in an insurance market still recovering from Hurricane Ike. Although it is easy to put the blame on the insurers, they have been hit hard too. The past two years have seen the insurance providers suffer major losses.
Administration Using Oil Spill to Force Radical Energy Policy The federal government has enlarged the destructive aftermath of the explosion at BP’s Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico. With the oil flow’s increasing coastal intrusion and an inept response by the federal government to containment, government edict now adds a greater blow to the regional Gulf economy.
Consumers Are King… The concept of the consumer-driven economy is everywhere. We are told a consumer-driven recovery is going to turn our economy around. Consumer-driven health care was supposed to drive down medical costs. Yet the real power of consumers is generally ignored by those proposing government solutions to problems.
A Case Study on Tort Reform Six thousand claimants in Texas silica lawsuits await their day in court. For most, that day will never come. Though it seems like justice is not being served, this is actually good news for courts and these claimants.
Transit Agencies Should Open Their Books Last year, Texas’ metropolitan transit authorities (MTAs) spent more than $4 billion of your transportation tax dollars. If you’re curious to know why, how, or on what, good luck.
The Tenth Amendment Protects Our Liberty If the Tenth Amendment is respected – if the Constitution’s limits on the federal government are given force – then government power will be restrained. Governmental leaders will be accountable. And our liberty will be preserved.
Deepwater Horizon: A Tragedy Four Decades in the Making BP is drilling for oil one mile beneath the surface of the Gulf and 50 miles from the coast of Louisiana not because the U.S. has run out of more easily recoverable oil, but because the federal government has erected off-limits signs across energy-rich areas in western states, Alaska, and nearer to shore. BP is operating at a depth, pressure, and temperature challenging the most advanced technology to stop this spill.
In Juvenile Justice, Less Is Often More Texas has made remarkable progress in lowering juvenile crime while reducing costs. Policymakers can build on these gains for public safety and taxpayers by continuing to strengthen community-based programs that hold juveniles accountable through proven supervision and treatment strategies, ensuring that the most costly destination for Texas youths is truly the last resort.
Public Utility Commission proposal to be considered Friday would expand program despite questions of program’s effectiveness
Texas consumers may have to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for an energy efficiency program that may not be effective, according to a report released today by the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Institute for Energy Research. The report, “Energy Efficiency: Is Texas Getting Its Money’s Worth?” is on the Foundation’s website, www.TexasPolicy.com.
TexasPolicy.com
Texas Public Policy Foundation 900 Congress Ave., Ste. 400 Austin, TX 78701 Phone 512.472.2700 Fax 512.472.2728
View all Research Links
