"The life of Governor Bill Clements was truly a tale of the American Dream. From humble beginnings, he came of age in the Great Depression, and went on to serve his country in the Army in the Second World War. His success as a self-made entrepreneur embodied so much of the promise of our great...
Press Release May 29, 2011“We congratulate the Texas Legislature on passing a budget that cuts non-essential spending, does not spend a penny of the rainy day fund, and does not create new taxes. The mandate from Texas voters last November was to pass a fiscally responsible budget, and the 82nd Legislature delivered. “This is the first all-funds Texas state...
Press Release May 28, 2011“We congratulate the conference committee on CSHB 1 for finalizing an agreement on a 2012-13 Texas state budget. We encourage our legislators to complete their constitutional duty and adopt this budget when it reaches the House and Senate floors on Saturday. “The 2012-13 all-funds budget will be $15 billion lower than in the current biennium,...
Press Release May 26, 2011“Today’s Senate passage of HB 274, the ‘loser pays’ bill, is a great step forward for Texas and another step toward getting rid of many frivolous lawsuits that are clogging our courts. This statute will ensure that any Texan who has been wronged will have access to the judicial system. It will cut the costs...
Press Release May 24, 2011AUSTIN – Modest increases in teaching loads at the University of Texas at Austin would produce hundreds of millions of dollars in savings to taxpayers and students, according to a preliminary analysis of faculty data released today by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP). “These findings bring to light very real opportunities to...
Press Release May 23, 2011“This state budget deal is a victory for all Texans – and especially for the Texans who worked hard over the past several months to remind our legislators that they wanted a fiscally conservative state budget. The announced budget deal is a win for Texas on three specific points: – It does not use a...
Press Release May 20, 2011“We are pleased by the reports that estimated tax revenue in the next biennium is $1.2 billion more than expected. Any sign of economic vitality is most welcome. The way forward in this budget process is the same now as it always was: make necessary cuts, don’t raise taxes, and preserve the Rainy Day Fund.”...
Press Release May 17, 2011“The conference committee budget continues Texas’ recent progress in emphasizing cost-effective sanctions and treatment in the community for nonviolent offenders, which has led to an 8 percent decline in the state’s incarceration rate since 2004, and most importantly, an 11 percent drop in the serious crime rate over this period. This budget constitutes a well-deserved...
Press Release May 17, 2011AUSTIN, TX – The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has accepted an amicus curiae brief from the Texas Public Policy Foundation in Florida et al v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services et al, the lawsuit by 26 states – including Texas – challenging the constitutionality of the last year’s federal health care...
Press Release May 16, 2011“The Texas House has shown that the current biennium’s budget can be balanced with taking only $3.1 billion from the rainy day fund. We encourage the House to hold firm on that amount.” The Honorable Talmadge Heflin is Director of the Center for Fiscal Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Heflin served 11 terms...
Press Release May 16, 2011AUSTIN – The Texas Public Policy Foundation today made public a May 13, 2011, letter from Kathleen Hartnett White, Director of the Foundation’s Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment, to Texas House Environmental Regulation Chairman Wayne Smith. The letter urges Chairman Smith and his House colleagues to uphold House Bill 2694, the Texas Commission...
Press Release May 16, 2011AUSTIN – The Texas Public Policy Foundation today announced that it has purchased a third week of commercial advertising in its campaign on the Texas state budget. This third week of commercial air time, featuring the Foundation’s existing 10 commercials and running today through May 20, includes an expansion into the Tyler-Longview media market and...
Press Release May 13, 2011