TPPF Statement on Houston Mayor’s Pension Proposal

Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Local Governance Director James Quintero issued the following statement on Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s tentative pension reform agreement with officials from the Houston Municipal Employees Pension System (HMEPS), the Houston Police Officers Pension System (HPOPS), and the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund (HFRRF) announced today. According to the Houston Chronicle, the Mayor’s proposal would “eliminate Houston’s pension under-funding within 30 years, avoid more than $2.5 billion in future costs through benefit reductions and include the issuance of at least $1 billion in bonds.”

Press Release September 14, 2016

TPPF Hosts Discussion on Key Issues in Clean Power Plan Legal Challenge

 The Texas Public Policy Foundation will host a discussion on the eve of oral arguments before the D.C. Circuit Court in State of West Virginia, et al. v. EPA. The discussion will preview the key legal arguments to be addressed before the en banc panel regarding EPA’s authority to regulate the nation’s power generating industry under the Clean Power Plan (CPP). Issues include constitutional challenges striking at the heart of the CPP, focusing on EPA’s usurpation of state powers to regulate the use of in-state natural resources, and its attempt to rewrite the Clean Air Act to suit its overarching goal of regulating CO2 emissions.

Press Release September 13, 2016

TPPF’s Kathleen Hartnett White to Speak at Energy Network Conference in Houston

The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s (TPPF) Distinguished Senior Fellow-in-Residence and Director of the Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment Kathleen Hartnett White will deliver the keynote presentation, “The Great Energy Enrichment,” at the Energy Conference Network’s 2nd annual Internet of Things (IoT) conference this week. Ms. White will speak at 9:45 am on Wednesday, September 14 at the Whitehall Hotel in Houston, Texas. She is coauthor of the recently released Fueling Freedom: Exposing the Mad War on Energy (Regnery Publishing).  

Press Release September 12, 2016

Media Registration Opens for TPPF’s 15th Annual Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature

Media registration is now open for the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s 15th Annual Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature. The Policy Orientation will take place on January 11-13, 2017 at the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol.

Press Release September 12, 2016

TPPF Releases “Legislator’s Guide to the Issues” for the 85th Texas Legislative Session

The Texas Public Policy Foundation today unveiled the 2017-18 “Legislator’s Guide to the Issues,” a series of recommendations to the 85th Texas Legislature that will keep Texas at the forefront of liberty, prosperity, and economic growth.

Press Release September 8, 2016

TPPF Statement on the Texas Comptroller’s Release of FY 2016 State Revenue

The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Director of the Center for Fiscal Policy the Honorable Talmadge Heflin issued the following statement on the state revenue data for fiscal 2016 that ended in August released yesterday by the Texas Comptroller:

Press Release September 8, 2016

TPPF & Goldwater Institute File Lawsuit to Halt Taxpayer-Funded Union Employees

The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) and Goldwater Institute filed a lawsuit in Travis County District Court today against the City of Austin and the Austin Firefighters Association, Local 975 challenging the City’s labor agreement with Austin Firefighters Association, Local 975. The lawsuit, Pulliam, et. al. v. City of Austin, et. al., seeks to halt the practice of “release time” also known as “association business leave,” and “union leave,” which assigns city employees to work for the union at taxpayer expense. The agreement violates the Texas Constitution “gift clause” provision that prohibits government from giving taxpayer funds to private entities without a public purpose.   

Press Release September 7, 2016

Media Conference Call on Release-Time Lawsuit Against City of Austin

The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) and the Goldwater Institute will host a media conference call briefing TODAY, Wednesday, September 7, at 10:00 a.m. CDT to discuss a lawsuit to be filed to against the City of Austin challenging the Austin Fire Department's labor agreement with Austin Firefighters Association, Local 975. The labor agreement allows for “release time,” also known as “association business leave,” and “union leave,” which allows city employees to be assigned to work for the union at taxpayer expense. The agreement violates the Texas Constitution “gift clause” provision that prohibits government from giving taxpayer funds to private entities without a public purpose. 

Press Release September 7, 2016

MEDIA AVAILABILITY: TPPF Experts Available to Discuss the President’s “Ratification” of Paris Climate Agreement

The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s leading energy and environment experts are available to discuss President Barack Obama, along with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent “ratification” of the Paris Climate Agreement this past weekend at the 11th annual G-20 Summit in Hangzhou, China. Experts include the Foundation’s Distinguished Senior Fellow-in-Residence & Director of the Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment, Kathleen Hartnett White, and Director of the Fueling Freedom Project, the Honorable Doug Domenech.  

Press Release September 7, 2016

Texas Public Policy Foundation Statement on Houston Jury Verdict in Landmark Lawsuit Against SEIU

The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Vice President of Research and Director of the Center for Economic Freedom Bill Peacock and General Counsel Robert Henneke issued the following statements on the verdict delivered by a state district court in Harris County awarding Professional Janitorial Services (PJS) Houston $5.4 million in damages for the business lost when the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) made false claims against PJS in an aggressive union organizing campaign.

Press Release September 7, 2016

TPPF Releases Paper on Military-Grade Equipment Sent to States

The Texas Public Policy Foundation today released a paper by Center for Effective Justice Deputy Director Derek Cohen, Policy Analyst Greg Glod, and Staff Writer Michael Haugen on the Department of Defense’s 1033 program, under which surplus or out-of-date materiel is transferred to law enforcement departments in the states. The paper, Watchmen or Warfighters? A Conservative Proposal for Limiting Military-Grade Weapons Sent to States, examines how these military-grade weapons are disbursed and used by civilian law enforcement, including municipal and county law enforcement, school districts, and environmental enforcement agencies.

Press Release August 31, 2016

TPPF Releases Paper on Restoring the First Amendment at Texas Public Universities

The Texas Public Policy Foundation today released a paper by Center for Higher Education Director Dr. Thomas Lindsay on unconstitutional restrictions on free speech and debate at universities in Texas and the nation. The paper, “Free to Learn? Think Again,” examines policies that suppress the First Amendment rights of students and makes recommendations on how to restore the First Amendment on Texas public university campuses. 

Press Release August 31, 2016