Reports by Date
2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1990 0

	Reports by Center
Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment   Air Quality   Climate Change   Endangered Species Act   Energy     Conventional Fuels     Energy Efficiency     Renewable Energy   Transparency   Water     Ground Water     Surface Water Center for Economic Freedom   Civil Justice   Consumer Finance   Economic Growth   Energy     Electricity Markets     Energy Efficiency     Renewable Energy   Immigration   Insurance     Homeowners' Insurance     Windstorm Insurance   Property Rights     Eminent Domain     Regulatory Takings   Telecommunications     Taxes and Fees   Thinking Economically   Transportation   Workers' Compensation Center for Education Policy   Curriculum   Educational Quality     Accountability     Administration     Assessments     Pre-K     Programs     Students     Teachers   School Choice     Charter Schools   School Funding   Transparency Center for Effective Justice   Community Corrections     Employment     Monitoring Technology     Parole     Probation     Reentry   Empowering Crime Victims     Restitution     Victim Offender Mediation   Juvenile Justice     Alternative Schools     Juvenile Probation     TYC     Zero Tolerance   Mental Illness and Crime   Overcriminalization   Policing     Law Enforcement     Private Security     Technology   Prison Capacity and Administration     Budget Priorities     Prison Operations     Private Prisons and County Jails   Substance Abuse     Drug Courts     Drug Treatment     Drunk Driving Center for Fiscal Policy   Budgets & Spending     Federal     Local     State   Economic Growth   Taxes & Fees     Federal     Local     State   Transparency   Transportation Center for Health Care Policy   Entitlement Programs     CHIP     Medicaid     TANF   Health Care Regulation   Health Insurance Center for Higher Education   Educational Quality   Funding and Affordability   Higher Education Competition   Transparency Center for Tenth Amendment Studies Influential Issues Liberty Lecture Series Policy Resources   2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues     Education     Effective Justice     Energy & Environment     Health Care     Health Insurance     Homeowners' Insurance     Property Rights     Spending     Taxes     Telecommunications     Tort Reform     Water     Welfare   Legislators' Guide Archives     2003-2004     2005-2006     2007-2008   Pocket Facts   Policy Facts   Policy Orientation   Testimony Thinking Economically

December 31, 2008
	The Perfect As the Enemy of the Good: Market Failure or Market Opportunity? Thinking Economically: Lesson 10 By Dr. Arthur B. Laffer Consumers and producers are uniquely situated to make judgments about meeting their own wants and needs. So government regulation in the name of protecting consumers and competition—or in any other name for that matter—rarely lives up to its billing.
December 31, 2008
	Is Academic Research a Good Investment for Texas? By Rick O'Donnell The key to preparing the next generation of Texans for more productive and meaningful lives is not to pour billions of additional dollars into higher education research, but to return our colleges and universities to their original mission—teaching students.
December 31, 2008
	Telecom Taxes 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Bill Peacock Texas consumers are burdened with high tax rates on telecommunications services. The average consumer who subscribes to telephone, cable, and cellular service pays annual taxes of around $318. Texas’ tax rate on landline telephone service is the third highest in the nation.
December 31, 2008
	Let's Not Forget the Liberal Arts The Collapse of Undergraduate Teaching By Rick O'Donnell Traditional liberal arts programs are disappearing from higher education in America. The curriculum of most large American universities is a mish-mash of courses that reflect the research interests of the faculty, rather than a program designed to teach students to read, write, or think critically.
December 31, 2008
	Higher Education: Fund Learning, Not Buildings By Kalese Hammonds The only way to inject competition into the higher education marketplace is to force universities to compete for students’ money by putting state funds into the hands of students and letting them decide who earns the state’s money.
December 31, 2008
	Free Nurse Practitioners to Practice By Kalese Hammonds Considering Texas’ growing need for lower cost alternatives in health care, policymakers should look for every opportunity to give Texans a diversified provider field that offers a variety of health care options at a range of prices. Easing regulations on nurse practitioners would give consumers more choices and more affordable options.
December 16, 2008
	State Employee Health Benefits 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Kalese Hammonds The cost of providing health benefits to Texas’ state employees has been climbing for years. In an effort to control mounting costs, the Legislature should readjust cost sharing for state employees and offer the option of a high deductible health plan and health savings account to control cost and allow employees to share in the premium savings.
December 16, 2008
	Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Kalese Hammonds As a result of welfare reform and the emphasis on work, Texas has been a leader among the states for moving people off welfare and into the workplace. A July 2006 USA Today article shows the number of families receiving welfare in Texas declined by 68 percent between August 1996 and December 2005.
December 16, 2008
	Private Sector Public Safety Solutions 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Marc Levin The private sector can bring innovation and competition to the criminal justice system. Private prisons cost about 14 percent less to operate than their government-run counterparts--saving taxpayer money and providing greater public safety.
December 16, 2008
	Business Overcriminalization 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Marc Levin Criminal law is not just for criminals anymore—at least not criminals as we have traditionally defined them. Significant differences between criminal and civil law make criminal law an overly blunt instrument for regulating non-fraudulent business activities.
December 16, 2008
	Spending Priorities 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By The Honorable Talmadge Heflin and James Quintero Every two years, legislators must write a new state budget that best serves the people of Texas while also limiting the burden it places on them. In order to write such a budget, the Legislature has to maximize available tax dollars by balancing actual needs and available revenue. Remember, for every dollar the Legislature allocates to one area of the budget, it loses the ability to spend it in another.
December 16, 2008
	The Income Tax 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By The Honorable Talmadge Heflin and James Quintero Even in the face of a national economic downturn, Texas continues to attract employers, create jobs, and stimulate economic activity with its pro-growth, low tax model.
December 16, 2008
	Expenditure Limits 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By The Honorable Talmadge Heflin and James Quintero Texas' TEL is flawed and needs to be improved. One such improvement is to limit the growth of all state and local government spending to population growth plus inflation. Ultimately, taxpayers shoulder the burden of paying for government; therefore, government should shoulder the burden of protecting the taxpayer.
December 12, 2008
	Climate Change: Are Manmade Carbon Dioxide Emissions to Blame? By Drew Thornley and Kathleen Hartnett White New observational evidence from NASA Satellite Research Project contradicts reigning global warming science. Empirical data indicate a minimal role of manmade CO2 emissions in climate dynamics.
December 09, 2008
	The High Cost of Higher Education By Kalese Hammonds The price of higher education in Texas is rising at a rate that outpaces both inflation and family incomes—but there is an end in sight. Restoring consumer-based, competitive market principles to the arena of higher education will bring about the reduction in costs—and tuition—that students, parents, and policymakers are seeking.
December 05, 2008
	Ozone 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Kathleen Hartnett White Ozone levels have long challenged Texas’ two largest urban areas—Houston-Galveston-Brasoria (HGB) and Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)—although continuous, dramatic improvement has occurred in the last 10 years. Unlike many states, Texas has aggressively regulated industrial sources of ozone and federal engine standards coming online in the next few years will continue to lower mobile emissions without onerous, costly state regulation.
December 05, 2008
	Water Rights 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Kathleen Hartnett White Since the passage of the landmark legislation SB 1 in 1997, river authorities, municipalities, and water utilities have grappled with plans to increase available water supply, urgently needed by our growing population. Legislative clarification of key sections of the Texas Water Code are needed to implement projects to increase water supply.
December 05, 2008
	Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Kalese Hammonds Congress established the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in 1997, in response to mounting pressure to address the number of uninsured children in the United States. Proponents of the plan argued that CHIP would deliver health insurance coverage to half of the nation’s 10 million uninsured children by 2000. Through federal FY 2005, however, the CHIP program had never reached enrollment of even 4 million children at any given time.
December 05, 2008
	Consumer-Driven Health Care 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Kalese Hammonds Consumer-driven health care has become a popular term with the creation and wide spread adoption of personal health accounts, such as Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). However, as the popularity of these accounts has grown, so have issues that impact the ability of individuals to make decisions about their health care.
December 05, 2008
	Assessments, Standards, & Accountability 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Brooke Dollens Terry Large numbers of public schools in Texas are not adequately preparing students for success in college or the workforce. The disconnect between high school preparation and college expectations costs students, parents, higher education institutions, and taxpayers.
November 30, 2008
	Building a Principled Budget A Blueprint for the 2010-11 Biennium By The Honorable Talmadge Heflin and James Quintero Texas is a national leader in job creation, gross state product, low unemployment rate and foreign direct investment. Will the 81st Legislature preserve these successes by writing a responsible budget that promotes economic growth?
November 30, 2008
	Texas Transparency: Then and Now By The Honorable Talmadge Heflin and James Quintero The 4th President of the United States, James Madison recognized the power of information when he said “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance.” Texas is a national leader in equipping her people with knowledge of government through transparency. We challenge the Legislature to build on that position when they meet in January of 2009.
November 28, 2008
	When You're Right, Well, You're Right: The Laffer Curve Thinking Economically: Lesson 9 By Dr. Arthur B. Laffer For good or ill, many people reduce the entire pro-growth worldview of supply-side economics down to the “Laffer Curve,” which graphically depicts the tradeoff between tax rates versus the total tax revenues actually collected by the government.
November 20, 2008
	Monopolies or Markets? Electric Competition in Texas 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Bill Peacock Introducing competition into Texas’ retail and wholesale electricity markets has made Texas the greatest success story in the United States—if not the world. That success is largely due to policymakers’ willingness to let markets work and not manipulate prices or other policies for political reasons.
November 20, 2008
	Franchise Fees 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Bill Peacock While the Legislature has improved the franchise process, it has left franchise fees at high levels. So while the process is now more efficient, consumers still pay fees that provide revenues for cities far above what it costs to manage the public ROW.
November 20, 2008
	Corrections Budget & Prison Operations 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Marc Levin While Texas should maintain tough laws that keep violent offenders, sex off enders, drug kingpins, and habitual home burglars in prison for long periods, narrowly tailored policy changes can control future incarceration costs by rerouting nonviolent substance abuse offenders who do not pose a threat to public safety.
November 20, 2008
	Health Insurance Regulations 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Kalese Hammonds Health insurance mandates ultimately harm consumers by making health insurance more expensive and requiring individuals to buy health benefits that they would not choose if they had the option. Additionally, they limit the opportunity for insurers to develop new and innovative products tailored to the individual.
November 14, 2008
	Medicaid 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Kalese Hammonds Since Medicaid was established by Congress in 1965, and in Texas in 1967, more than four decades of incremental policy expansion has created the largest government health program, providing benefits to more people and at a higher cost than even the Medicare program.
November 14, 2008
	TDI Sunset & Homeowners' Insurance Regulation 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Drew Thornley and Bill Peacock The sunset review process of TDI presents an excellent opportunity to address today’s problems with the regulation of homeowners’ insurance and to bring a consumer-friendly regulatory system to the Texas homeowners’ insurance marketplace.
November 14, 2008
	Restoring Property Rights in a Post-Kelo Texas 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Bill Peacock Texas has taken some steps since Kelo in moving toward protecting its citizens from eminent domain abuse. However, the veto of HB 2006 and the failure to pass HB 3057 last session have left much to be done in restoring Texans’ property rights.
November 14, 2008
	Tort Reform 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Drew Thornley and Bill Peacock Since 1995, no state has done more than Texas to restore the trust of citizens in their court system. However, Texas’ tort climate still has problem areas, namely its number of “judicial hellholes,” areas with histories of large or excessive verdicts against tort defendants.
November 13, 2008
	Entrepreneurs Versus Regulators: Government Intervention in the Market Thinking Economically: Lesson 8 By Dr. Arthur B. Laffer Whether you focus on theory or history, the lesson is clear: government intervention in the marketplace wastes resources, harms consumers, and often achieves the opposite from its intended goal. A deregulated, lightly taxed market is the best vehicle to achieve freedom and prosperity for all.
November 12, 2008
	Mandating College Student Health Insurance: A Costly Idea for Texas By The Honorable Arlene Wohlgemuth and Tiffiny Britton Mandating student health insurance would do little to actually reduce the rate of uninsured young adults and would add extra cost to the already high and rising cost of higher education, making higher education unaffordable to more Texans.
November 07, 2008
	Affordable & Reliable Energy: An Energy Policy for Texas 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Bill Peacock and Kathleen Hartnett White Proposed and enacted solutions for securing affordable and reliable energy for Texas consumers run from higher taxes and subsidies to mandated production from alternative fuel sources. However, long-term solutions must rely on a proper understanding of our current situation and market-based innovations.
November 07, 2008
	Health Care Regulations 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Kalese Hammonds As the cost of health care in Texas rises, the prohibition on the corporate practice of medicine has become a hotly contested topic, raising questions about whether physician employment compromises a physicians’ ability to make medical decisions in the best interest of their patients.
November 07, 2008
	Early Childhood Education (Pre-k) 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Brooke Dollens Terry Pre-k benefits generally fade out by the 3rd grade, particularly for non-at-risk children. If the goal is to increase kindergarten readiness, pre-k is already helping those children who may benefit from it. But if the goal is to improve graduation rates and academic achievement in the later grades, pre-k is not the solution for failing public schools.
November 07, 2008
	Groundwater 2009-2010 Legislators' Guide to the Issues By Kathleen Hartnett White Although the Legislature has the authority to limit, or even abrogate, vested property rights in groundwater, it does so with implications of “taking” constitutionally-protected rights for which the state would be liable to compensate the property owners.
November 01, 2008
	Testimony to the House Subcommittee on Spending Limits By The Honorable Talmadge Heflin and James Quintero
October 28, 2008
	The True Cost of Wind Energy By Bill Peacock A careful look at the costs of wind energy in Texas reveals that Texas consumers and taxpayers ought to think twice about the state’s current policy of subsidizing wind energy.
October 28, 2008
	Texas Wind Energy Past, Present, and Future By Drew Thornley Instead of subsidizing private wind development and imposing billions of dollars in new transmission costs upon retail electric customers, Texas policymakers should step back and allow the energy marketplace to bring wind power online when the market is ready. Texas consumers will reap the benefits.
October 21, 2008
	Measuring Performance in the Juvenile Justice System By Marc Levin As the Texas Youth Commission (TYC) and Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (TJPC) undergo sunset review, their performance measures should be enhanced to focus more on results-based performance measures such as recidivism, educational progress, administrative costs, and restitution to victims.
October 17, 2008
	The Horizon Program: A Model for Education Reform A Report on the 10-Year Horizon School Choice Program in the Edgewood School District in San Antonio, Texas By Robert Aguirre, Jessica Sanchez, and Brooke Dollens Terry School choice among parents and students in the Edgewood school district led to improved student performance, fewer dropouts, higher teacher salaries, and increased economic development.
October 15, 2008
	Unintended Consequences Regulation of Policy Forms and the Mold Crisis By Bill Peacock Regulations that are supposed to help consumers often wind up doing just the opposite.
October 14, 2008
	It's Not About Insurance By The Honorable Arlene Wohlgemuth As we gear up for another legislative session the rallying cry to “insure the uninsured” becomes louder and louder, but should crafting additional insurance programs be the focus of public policy?
October 13, 2008
	Cost of Hospital Regulations By Kalese Hammonds and Thomas Conner The cost of health care is expensive enough, but burdensome Texas hospital regulations drive up the operating cost of hospitals and increase the price patients pay for health care.
October 07, 2008
	Global Warming: Manmade Mess or Nature's Norm? A PowerPoint Presentation by Dr. Roy W. Spencer By Dr. Roy W. Spencer Dr. Roy Spencer, published author, principal research scientist for the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and the U.S. Science Team Leader for the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer on NASA’s Aqua satellite, provides evidence in this PowerPoint presentation that new data collected from NASA satellites show that there are significant errors in the climate models used by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
October 07, 2008
	Applying Free Market Principles and Common Sense to Teacher Compensation By Brooke Dollens Terry School board members and superintendents need to use the powerful incentive of money to drive changes in teacher behavior and performance that increase student learning, the main goal of education.
October 07, 2008
	Natural Resource Policy: Free Markets and Liberty By Kathleen Hartnett White Free market advocates need a good offense: natural resource policy based on fundamental free market principles--which offer the most effective, enduring, and cost-efficient method of environmental protection.
October 01, 2008
	Invited Written Testimony: Interim Charges Relating to State Jails Presented before the Texas House Corrections Committee By Marc Levin This invited written testimony regarding interim charges relating to state jails, technology in the criminal justice system, and offender reentry was presented before the Texas House Corrections Committee on August 21, 2008.
September 29, 2008
	Influential Issues Education By Brooke Dollens Terry and Michael Alexander As more young Texans are failing to meet the standards that are needed to make it in the 21st Century, Texas needs to make bold choices and go against the failing status quo of more money and more of the same. This Influential Issues paper on education provides facts and recommendations for making the Lone Star State a true leader in education without bankrupting its citizens. For other Influential Issues papers covering health care, immigration, the economy, and thinking economically click here.
September 29, 2008
	Influential Issues Health Care By Kalese Hammonds Real change for our health care system means addressing the rising cost of health care and making it more accessible by taking actions to lower costs without incurring more government expenses or increasing the burden to taxpayers. The most effective way to do that is with a healthy dose of competition and free market forces.
September 29, 2008
	Influential Issues Immigration By Bill Peacock and Andrew Liu Immigration is an issue as complex as it is contentious. With respect to immigration issues, we must recognize the efficacy of free markets in promoting economic growth, but also acknowledge the necessity of policy interventions to protect the rule of law and the security of the state and nation.
September 29, 2008
	Influential Issues The Economy By The Honorable Talmadge Heflin and Bill Peacock Government policies influence people's decisions on whether, where, and how much to work, save, and invest, impacting the ability of states to retain and attract residents and businesses. Research has shown that pro-growth policies result in higher after-tax returns, increased economic activity, and an eventual improvement in overall state fiscal health. For other Influential Issues papers covering education, health care, immigration, and thinking economically click here.
September 29, 2008
	Influential Issues Thinking Economically By Dr. Arthur B. Laffer Economics is a science; its laws are like those of physics--immutable. Attempts by policymakers to circumvent these laws always result in unintended consequences.
September 18, 2008
	Testimony Regarding Scholarships for Special Needs Students Presented before the Senate Education Committee By Brooke Dollens Terry
September 16, 2008
	Paying for Results Examining Incentive Pay in Texas Schools By Brooke Dollens Terry Teacher incentive pay programs in Texas school districts have produced higher test scores, higher state accountability rankings, improved teacher morale, and less teacher turnover. This report (with generous support from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation) examines how incentive pay has been implemented in the Austin, Dallas, Houston, and Lamesa school districts; and provides recommendations for future implementation.
September 12, 2008
	States' Right--To Mess It Up: What Makes a State Competitive? Thinking Economically: Lesson 7 By Dr. Arthur B. Laffer A pro-growth, market-friendly state attracts talented workers, entrepreneurs, and investment, which spurs job creation and booming tax receipts. Empirical evidence backs this up: on every important criterion, pro-growth states outperform those with hostile business climates. State policies matter!
September 09, 2008
	Competitive States: Texas v. California Economic Growth Prospects for the 21st Century By Arduin, Laffer & Moore Econometrics and Dr. Arthur B. Laffer The result of a head-to-head competition between Texas and California is an economic blowout. The economic environment in Texas has significant advantages over California. The implications of this competitive advantage are clear; Texas’ economic prospects are bright and the Texas economy will significantly outperform California’s.
August 28, 2008
	Environmental Policy Constraints on U.S. Oil Supply Outdated & Unjustified By Kathleen Hartnett White Unless the U.S. Congress removes restrictions on domestic oil production, unprecedented U.S. fuel prices will likely continue. Pundits debate the cause of soaring U.S. fuel prices, but the underlying cause remains the tight global supply.
August 20, 2008
	Calculating the Demand for Charter Schools By Brooke Dollens Terry and Michael Alexander Students around the state are waiting in line to attend a public charter school as evidenced by nearly 17,000 students on a waiting list. Texas lawmakers can help these students attend a charter school by eliminating the legislative cap, lowering barriers to expansion, and reducing unnecessary regulations.
August 18, 2008
	Consumers, Competition, and Homeowners' Insurance A Sunset Report on the Texas Department of Insurance and the Office of Public Insurance Counsel By Drew Thornley and Bill Peacock The move to a file-and-use regulatory system for homeowners’ insurance, as called for by the Texas Legislature, is incomplete. Completing the move is necessary for consumers to reap the benefits of a competitive marketplace.
August 07, 2008
	Texas' Property Tax Challenge The True Cost of Owning Property in Texas By The Honorable Talmadge Heflin and James Quintero The cost of owning a home or business in Texas is becoming increasingly prohibitive. Short of totally abolishing the property tax, limiting the growth of local spending to the sum of population growth and inflation is the only meaningful way the Texas Legislature can push back the rising tide of property taxes.
August 07, 2008
	Occupational Licensing & Overcriminalization Testimony before the House Government Reform Committee By Marc Levin The overcriminalization of occupational licensing is limiting job growth and competition while unfairly excluding some Texans from the workforce. Texas regulates too many occupations, applies excessive criminal penalties to violations of licensing rules, and too often prevents otherwise qualified individuals from obtaining licenses because of a minor and sometimes decades-old conviction. This testimony offers solutions that can put more Texans to work and, by increasing competition, bring greater choice and value to consumers.
July 25, 2008
	Testimony Presented to the Senate Natural Resources Hearing Regarding Panel on Conflicting Federal and State Positions By Kathleen Hartnett White
July 24, 2008
	The Other Franchise Tax Municipal Franchise Fees Add Hundreds of Millions of Dollars to Consumers' Bill Each Year By Bill Peacock Consumers have greatly benefitted from recent efforts to reduce telecommunications taxes. But this testimony shows that the municipal franchise tax on video, voice, electricity, and natural gas services still takes hundreds of millions of dollars a year out of consumers' pockets.
July 21, 2008
	Letter to the Sunset Advisory Commission Regarding Texas Youth Commission (TYC) and Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (TJPC) By Marc Levin After working closely with state policymakers on landmark legislation to overhaul the Texas Youth Commission (TYC), the Texas Public Policy Foundation is pleased to share with the Sunset Advisory Commission key research and recommendations as it reviews both TYC and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission.
July 17, 2008
	State Employee Health Benefits By Kalese Hammonds With almost 560 state employees per 10,000 Texas residents, the increasing cost of health insurance benefits means state lawmakers must allocate considerable funding for these benefits. While health insurance benefits are an appropriate benefit for state employees, there are things lawmakers can do to help control these costs.
June 30, 2008
	Trade: You Ain't Got the Frills If You Ain't Got the Skills Thinking Economically: Lesson 6 By Dr. Arthur B. Laffer Many people today call for "fair" trade rather than free trade. But that ignores the fact that all free trade is fair because people only agree to trade if they believe they will benefit from it.
June 26, 2008
	Testimony Presented to the Texas Education Agency Regarding Proposed Rules for a Dropout Recovery Pilot Program By Brooke Dollens Terry
June 20, 2008
	Massachusetts Health Care Reforms The Wrong Path for Texas By Kalese Hammonds Massachusetts’ health care reform promised to provide universal health care coverage for the entire state and reduce health care costs, but two years after its implementation, it has accomplished neither. Not only has the program failed to insure the entire population, but it is running hundreds of millions of dollars over budget.
June 19, 2008
	Five Technological Solutions for Texas' Correctional and Law Enforcement Challenges By Marc Levin Better utilization of technology in the criminal justice system can help control costs and maximize the productivity of personnel. In some cases it can also improve outcomes such as recidivism, crime rate, and percentage of crimes solved.
June 19, 2008
	Thinking Outside the Cell Aligning Goals and Incentives in the Texas Criminal Justice System By Marc Levin This PowerPoint presentation was given to the Montgomery County Bar Association Luncheon and provides policy recommendations on how to align goals and incentives in Texas' system of criminal justice.
June 12, 2008
	Higher Education Summit By Texas Public Policy Foundation The May 21 higher education conference designed for regents appointed to the state’s major university systems explored the rising cost of higher education, the quality of higher education in Texas, and the roles and responsibilities of regents. This publication provides important resource information on each of those areas, as well as the solutions for how to strengthen higher education in Texas.
June 11, 2008
	Staggering Cost and the Benefit? Lieberman-Warner America's Climate Security Act By Kathleen Hartnett White The U.S. Senate's attempt to move this legislation has lifted the veil on the real cost yet ineffectiveness of ambitous federal CO2 reduction mandates. As the leading energy producing state, the Texas economy would be most adversely impacted. This brief offers a risk-benefit assessment of this unprecedented legislation and highlights the effects on Texas.
June 01, 2008
	Money Makes the World Go 'Round: And the Fed Makes Money Thinking Economically: Lesson 5 By Dr. Arthur B. Laffer Where our money comes from remains a mystery for most people. The answer would be much simpler if everyone conducted their transactions in cold hard cash. But we can start by applying the law of supply and demand.
May 29, 2008
	Texas' Higher Education System: Success or Failure? By Richard Vedder, Ph.D. This report takes a look at the current state of Texas’ institutions of higher education and makes recommendations on how to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness by putting free market solutions in place that provide greater outcomes for the ultimate customers—students.
May 16, 2008
	Letter to the State Board of Education By Brooke Dollens Terry The Foundation’s comments on the State Board of Education proposed K-12 English/Language Arts curriculum.
May 16, 2008
	A History of Lawsuit Reform in Texas By The Honorable Joseph M. Nixon Texas has been a leader in tort reform since enacting landmark medical malpractice reform in 2003. This history of tort reform in Texas discusses how it came to be and the tremendous results since.
May 15, 2008
	Innovations in the Business of Health Care The Role of Specialty Hospitals By Sean Parnell Specialty hospitals create a competitive environment that leads to higher quality health care and expanded consumer choice. However, prohibitive government regulations threaten these innovative facilities—ultimately threatening choice, affordability, and improved quality for all health care consumers.
May 14, 2008
	Letter to the State Board for Educator Certification Regarding Teacher Certification and Preparation Programs By Brooke Dollens Terry The Foundation’s comments on State Board for Educator Certification proposed rule changes to teacher preparation and certification programs.
May 07, 2008
	Condemnation Compensation: Time to Get Back to Basics Testimony before the House Committee on Land Use and Regulation By Drew Thornley
May 07, 2008
	Eminent Domain: Restoring Texans’ Property Rights Testimony before the House Committee on Land Use and Regulation By Bill Peacock Taking private property is not only wrong, it is also unnecessary. A recent study shows that economic develop can and does occur without eminent domain, another reason why Texas should reform its laws for the post-Kelo world we live in.
May 06, 2008
	Work Release: Con Job or Big Payoff for Texas? By Marc Levin For Texans behind bars, a job can be the key to unlocking gates of opportunity and abandoning the criminal lifestyle. The limited experience in Texas and evidence from around the nation indicates that work release programs that properly monitor and carefully screen participants can reduce recidivism and costs to taxpayers while protecting public safety.
April 30, 2008
	The Condition of Our Nation: The Press Is Always Wrong Thinking Economically: Lesson 4 By Dr. Arthur B. Laffer The U.S. today is in its best shape ever. Americans enjoy low flat(ish) tax rates, an economy open to foreign trade, and wealth unprecedented in human history. To continue to enjoy this prosperity, it is important to understand why the 1980s and beyond have been so much better.
April 24, 2008
	School Choice Delivers High Marks for Students, Parents, Teachers, and Taxpayers By Jamie Story and K. Emma Pickering This paper explores the benefits that existing school choice situations—including private school choice, charter schools, and public school transfers—hold for students in public and private schools, parents, teachers, and taxpayers.
April 22, 2008
	Is Government Expansion of Early Childhood Education Programs Necessary? By Jamie Story and Brooke Dollens Terry As Texas lawmakers contemplate expanding government early childhood programs, it is instructive to look at the effectiveness of current programs and whether parents prefer universal pre-k or choice on where and how to educate their four-year old child.
April 17, 2008
	Expanding the Health Insurance Market Giving Texans More Choices By Kalese Hammonds Texas has the opportunity to lead the way in creating a more competitive health insurance market while giving Texas consumers more health insurance options. Ultimately, more competition will give Texans more choices in both benefits and prices.
April 10, 2008
	Invited Testimony to the Select Committee on Electric Generation Capacity & Environmental Effects By Kathleen Hartnett White Texas' growing economy requires a growing supply of energy. This testimony examines how we can meet future energy demands while addressing federal clean air regulations and concerns about global warming.
April 01, 2008
	People Behind the Policy 2007 Annual Report By Texas Public Policy Foundation A report on the impact, activities, and finances of the Texas Public Policy Foundation in 2007.
March 31, 2008
	Government & Prosperity: Free Market Institutions Thinking Economically: Lesson 3 By Dr. Arthur B. Laffer Market institutions matter. Countries that have secure property rights and the rule of law have greater prosperity and greater freedom.
March 28, 2008
	The Case for Converting from Property Taxes to Sales Taxes By Talmadge Heflin As a matter of policy, the "best" tax is one that does the least possible harm to the economy and to its citizens. With this in mind, lawmakers should continue to focus on delivering tax relief, while shifting from property taxes to consumption-based taxes for the long term.
March 27, 2008
	Testimony to the Texas State Board of Education Regarding the draft English/Language Arts K-12 state curriculum By Brooke Dollens Terry
March 26, 2008
	Analyze Before You Criminalize: A Checklist for Legislators By Marc Levin With more than 1,700 criminal offenses on the books in Texas, policymakers should carefully weigh some key factors in considering whether additional criminal laws are needed. Evaluating these factors suggests that in many circumstances civil laws and market incentives can more efficiently and less onerously achieve the intended results.
March 26, 2008
	Texas Electric Meter Measuring the Effects of Electricity Deregulation By Bill Peacock With two years of full deregulation before the next legislative session, Texans have the opportunity to get a clear picture of the true effect of deregulation of the Texas electricity market. The short answer is that consumers are benefitting.
March 25, 2008
	Wind Energy: Power for the Future or a Lot of Hot Air? PowerPoint Presentation by Rob Bradley This PowerPoint presentation was given by Rob Bradley of the Institute for Energy Research, at the Texas Public Policy Foundation's policy primer, “Wind Energy: Power for the Future or a Lot of Hot Air?”
March 25, 2008
	Wind Energy: The Right Tool for the Right Job? PowerPoint Presentation by Jeff Pollock This PowerPoint presentation was given by Jeff Pollock of J. Pollock, Inc., at the Texas Public Policy Foundation's policy primer, “Wind Energy: Power for the Future or a Lot of Hot Air?”
March 12, 2008
	Bringing Teacher Compensation into the 21st Century By Brooke Dollens Terry and K. Emma Pickering Over the course of our nation’s history, the structure of teacher compensation has varied and changed to fit the needs of the time. The current pay structure, introduced over 85 years ago, was designed for another era. If policymakers are serious about improving the quality of teachers in the classroom, they need to tie teacher pay to teacher quality.
March 11, 2008
	Testimony to the High School Success and Completion Initiative Council By Jamie Story This testimony was presented before the High School Success and Completion Initiative Council to address low graduation rates and school choice for high school dropouts.
March 06, 2008
	Ten Tall Tales About Texas Criminal Justice Reforms By Marc Levin The Legislative Budget Board declared in early 2008 that Texas taxpayers would no longer be handcuffed with a billion dollars of new prisons. However, Texans need not worry that they are saving money by opening the floodgates for violent offenders. The hard reality is that Texas is not going "soft on crime," but it is getting smarter.
February 29, 2008
	What's It Worth? The Value of Things Thinking Economically: Lesson 2 By Dr. Arthur B. Laffer What made the Edsel so valueless and the Cabbage Patch doll so valuable? It wasn’t their intrinsic worth based on factors such as production costs or the skill of the labor used in their production. Instead, it was the value placed upon them by consumers.
February 25, 2008
	From the State House to the Jail House: Protecting Public Safety Without Punishing Taxpayers PowerPoint Presentation By Marc Levin Jails are the largest item in most county budgets and Texas jails currently house over 69,000 inmates - 29 percent more inmates per capita than California. This Powerpoint presentation highlights solutions to the county jail overcrowding problem that protect public safety without punishing taxpayers.
February 25, 2008
	Letter to the Sunset Advisory Commission Regarding Sunset Review of the Texas Department of Public Safety By Marc Levin This letter requests that the Sunset Advisory Commission, as part of its review of the Texas Department of Public Safety, examine the issue of the Private Security Board’s disqualification of many otherwise qualified professionals from occupations such as locksmith and alarm salesperson solely because of a minor criminal offense that occurred many years ago.
February 21, 2008
	Individual or Group Coverage? Regulating Health Reimbursement Arrangements in Texas By Kalese Hammonds and Mary Katherine Stout For many small group employers priced out of the insurance market, Health Reimbursement Arrangements offer an affordable alternative to traditional health insurance. Unfortunately, current regulations prevent HRAs from being used to their full potential.
February 20, 2008
	2008-09 Budget Snapshot Texas Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program By Mary Katherine Stout Public health care makes up a huge portion of the Texas budget. This brief provides a snapshot of just how much of the state’s budget is spent on health care.
February 20, 2008
	Do Small Kids Need Big Government? A Look at the Research Behind Government Preschool By Darcy Olsen with Jamie Story A rising number of three- and four-year-olds are enrolled in taxpayer-funded pre-kindergarten in Texas. This report evaluates the costs and benefits of pre-k, and makes recommendations about the proper role of government in providing early childhood education.
February 14, 2008
	The ABC's Before TYC Enhancing Front-End Alternatives in the Juvenile Justice System By Marc Levin By linking each county's TYC commitments of nonviolent offenders to state funding for local probation and prevention efforts, and tying a share of state juvenile probation funds to key outcome measures like recidivism, restitution, and educational progress, Texas can encourage local innovations that will control TYC utilization and incentivize best practices.
February 03, 2008
	Q&A on Homeowners’ Insurance Regulation in Texas By Drew Thornley and Bill Peacock The Texas Department of Insurance is undergoing Sunset Review in 2008. This Q&A is based on the Center for Economic Freedom's response to a series of questions on TDI from the Texas Sunset Commission.
January 28, 2008
	Sunset Review of the Texas Department of Agriculture By Marc Levin There are many unnecessary, and unnecessarily excessive, criminal laws relating to licensing and regulation in Texas. This letter requests that the Sunset Advisory Commission examine this issue during its review of the Texas Department of Agriculture to determine whether some of the occupations regulated by TDA with criminal penalties require continued government regulation or would be better left to market processes.
January 25, 2008
	Energy & Air Quality: A Texas Primer By Joel M. Schwartz Steady advances in technology are decoupling fossil-fuel energy and air pollution. In fact, air pollution continues to reach new record lows in Texas and the nation, even as Americans burn increasing amounts of coal, oil, and natural gas to power their homes, vehicles, businesses, and factories.
January 25, 2008
	Power for the Future The Debate Over New Coal-Fired Power Plants in Texas By H. Sterling Burnett One reason for Texas' continued economic progress is its successful deregulation of the electric industry. Continued progress, and the prosperity it brings, relies upon continued growth in available power. In the short term, only coal can deliver enough reliable, inexpensive power to meet this need.
January 18, 2008
	Violate at Your Own Risk: The Immutability of Economic Laws Thinking Economically: Lesson 1 By Dr. Arthur B. Laffer Thinking Economically is a project of the Texas Public Policy Foundation designed to provide a basic economic education for policymakers, the media, and the general public. In this way, the Foundation hopes to highlight the intersection of economics and public policy, and the importance of “thinking economically” when making policy decisions. This paper shows that immutability of economic laws means that there are limits to what can be accomplished in the political realm.
January 17, 2008
	Texas School Accountability Standards 101 By Brooke Dollens Terry Texas has a complex public school accountability system to evaluate schools and school districts. The system lacks rigor, is too complex, and does not align with the federal accountability system. To hold schools accountable, policymakers need to make significant changes to the state accountability system.
January 03, 2008
	U.S. Controls Emissions Better than Kyoto By Drew Thornley The international climate change bandwagon has yet to offer a plan for battling emissions anywhere close to as good as the U.S.’s strategy of unleashing market forces to control emissions and investing in clean-energy technologies, with a focus on long-term emissions control, as opposed to unrealistic short-term strategies. If the goal is to curb emissions over the long-term, then countries should follow the example of the U.S. in letting competition and the free market lead the way to success.

TexasPolicy.com

Texas Public Policy Foundation 900 Congress Ave., Ste. 400 Austin, TX 78701 Phone 512.472.2700 Fax 512.472.2728

info@TexasPolicy.com