Texas Public Policy Foundation President and CEO Brooke Rollins and Distinguished Senior Fellow-in-Residence and Director of the Armstrong Center for Energy and the Environment the Honorable Kathleen Hartnett White issued the following statements on former Texas Governor Rick Perry’s nomination as Secretary of Energy
Press Release December 14, 2016The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) filed an amicus curiae brief in Laredo Merchants Association v. City of Laredo, Texas which is currently before the Supreme Court of Texas. The brief opposing the City of Laredo’s ordinance that directly contradicts Texas law by prohibiting retailers from providing customers with plastic bags. In August 2016, the Fourth Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Laredo Merchants Association’s case against the City of Laredo’s plastic bag ban, finding that the ordinance is preempted by existing state statute and “unenforceable as a matter of law.”
Press Release December 13, 2016The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Senior Policy Analyst for the Center for Effective Justice Greg Glod, J.D., issued the following statement on Representative Paul Workman’s bill, House Bill 577, which would prohibit local “Ban the Box” and “Fair Chance” hiring ordinances. Under the bill, which was introduced today, local entities will be prohibited form enacting a law that prohibits, limits, or regulates a private employer’s ability to look into a prospective employee’s criminal history when considering them for a job. The bill still allows local bodies to enact a law when the company is entering into, or doing business with the local body, such as a public sector position or a contract between a private and public entity.
Press Release December 13, 2016The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) is pleased to announce that author and Fox Business News host John Stossel will deliver the breakfast keynote at the "15th Annual Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature" on Thursday, January 12, 2017 at 8:00 am CST at the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol.
Press Release December 9, 2016The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Local Governance Director James Quintero issued the following statement on the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System's Board of Trustees suspending lump-sum withdrawals from the fund until further notice. The Board's actions were taken in response to a severe fiscal crisis enveloping the DPFP system.
Press Release December 9, 2016The Texas Public Policy Foundation today released a paper by Center for Effective Justice Deputy Director Derek Cohen examining myths commonly associated with civil asset forfeiture. The paper, Rebutting Common Myths of Civil Asset Forfeiture, examines the current framework of civil asset forfeiture in Texas and correct misconceptions about the practice.
Press Release December 8, 2016The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Director of the Center for Families and Children Brandon Logan, J.D., CWLS, issued the following statement on Senate Bill 11, the 85th Legislature’s first substantial legislation to reform Texas Child Protective Services (CPS). Among other things, the bill expands the continuum of services provided under the State’s foster care redesign initiative, which began in 2011. Under the bill, regional single-source contractors that currently provide foster care services could eventually have responsibility for case management and family preservation services, subject to meeting quality benchmarks.
Press Release December 8, 2016Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Executive Vice President Kevin Roberts and Center for Tenth Amendment Action Director Chip Roy issued the following statements on the bills calling for a convention of states to propose amendments under Article V of the United States Constitution, filed today in the Texas Legislature.
Press Release December 6, 2016The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Local Governance Director James Quintero issued the following statement on the Texas Bond Review Board’s new data on public debt owed by Texas’ cities, counties, school districts, and special districts. According to the agency’s estimates, the total debt owed by all local governmental entities rose to $342.1 billion in FY 2016, an increase from $338.4 billion owed in the previous fiscal year. Total local debt owed per capita is slightly above $12,450.
Press Release December 6, 2016The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) is pleased to announce that Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick will deliver the opening keynote at the 15th Annual Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature on Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at 12:00 pm CST at the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol.
Press Release December 6, 2016The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Local Governance Director James Quintero issued the following statement on the new report released by Moody’s Investor Services suggesting that unfunded pension liabilities in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio have grown to a collective $22.6 billion. The report states, “Rapid growth in unfunded pension liabilities over the past 10 years has transformed local governments’ balance sheet burdens to historically high levels.”
Press Release December 6, 2016The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) and 10 research and educational institutions filed an amicus curiae brief in Expressions Hair Design, et. al., v. Eric T. Schneiderman, et.al, opposing state “swipe fee” laws to ban surcharges that pass through the costs imposed by credit-card companies and banks for credit-card transactions. The brief was filed in the Supreme Court of the United States.
Press Release December 6, 2016