DALLAS – On Thursday, the city of Dallas approved an amendment to the 2025-26 budget (Amendment #16) that eliminates a $339,000 appropriation for contract lobbying and redirects those monies to reducing the property tax rate by $0.015 per $100 of value. The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) praised the Dallas City Council for its decision...
Press Release September 18, 2025AUSTIN – Texas Public Policy Foundation attorneys filed a petition for review urging the Texas Supreme Court to overturn In re City of Georgetown and eliminate the blanket attorney-client privilege exception to TPIA requests. This case asks whether a governmental body can hide an investigative accounting report concerning alleged financial malfeasance at a public school...
Press Release September 3, 2025TPPF Supports New Power Plant Reliability Standards but Warns Penalty Structure Won’t be Enough to Improve Grid Reliability AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) recently submitted comments on new reliability requirements for power plants starting in 2027. TPPF applauds the Public Utility Commission (PUC) for starting the rulemaking process early, allowing plenty...
Press Release September 3, 2025NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is set to hear arguments in a case challenging the City of New Braunfels’ unconstitutional ban on short-term rentals (i.e., homes rented for less than thirty days). Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) attorneys representing the plaintiff filed their opening brief in March. The...
Press Release September 2, 2025House Bill 17, is a measure proposing to enhance transparency and accountability in the tax rate-setting process through improved public notice and hearing processes. The good government changes proposed by this bill will improve the current tax environment in at least 3 ways, including: Increased Transparency. By requiring taxing units to notify property owners of key...
Press Release September 2, 2025Senate Bill 10, would lower the voter-approval tax rate for certain taxing units from 3.5% to 2.5%. This critical taxpayer protection promises to tap the brakes on excessive tax increases and provide for greater public participation in the tax rate-setting process. This type of reform is sorely needed too, as evidenced by fiscal and demographic...
Press Release September 2, 2025AUSTIN – Today, the Texas Senate fully passed Senate Bill 9, a bill to reduce the voter-approval tax rate limit from 3.5% to 2.5%. The proposed change would affect cities and counties of a certain size, and protect Texas taxpayers from large tax hikes not approved by voters. “Texans overwhelmingly want their property taxes cut—and to stay...
Press Release August 6, 2025AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for the American Future recently submitted detailed comments strongly supporting the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to rescind the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, calling the rescission a necessary correction of legal violations and regulatory overreach that has imposed massive costs on American families and businesses. The comments, filed on behalf...
Press Release August 4, 2025Today, the Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 12 on second reading, a bill to stop local governments from using public dollars to hire contract lobbyists to advocate for increased spending, higher taxes, and more government. “TPPF applauds Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Senator Mayes Middleton for the quick passage of SB 12,” said James Quintero, Policy Director for...
Press Release July 30, 2025AUSTIN – The Texas Public Policy Foundation, on behalf of local fishermen whose livelihoods have been severely impacted, filed an administrative petition challenging the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind energy project. The petition requests the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and the Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to reconsider the prior...
Press Release July 30, 2025AUSTIN – Eight years after the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Administration, the federal government finally decided to withdraw its ill-conceived regulatory proposal to require speed limiting equipment to be installed on heavy duty vehicles operating...
Press Release July 25, 2025DALLAS – Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) submitted a notice to the City of Dallas on behalf of local taxpayers. The letter calls on the City to repeal or otherwise amend 133 ordinances that are preempted by state law—or face legal action. The Texas Regulatory Consistency Act (HB 2127), also known as the...
Press Release July 23, 2025