"We are disappointed by the veto of House Bill 2006, which we believe to be the most significant legislation recognizing and protecting Texans' most fundamental property rights in decades. "The Supreme Court's 2005 Kelo decision gave government wide latitude in the exercise of eminent domain to take people's property. As a result, Texas property owners...
Press Release June 15, 2007"By ignoring student achievement in favor of an arbitrary measure of teacher ‘quality' such as National Board certification, House Bill 2646 would have undermined the core principle of the incentive pay program that Gov. Perry and the Legislature worked so hard to implement. Gov. Perry's veto was the correct action. "According to our research, National...
Press Release June 15, 2007AUSTIN – The Claremont Institute has selected Mary Katherine Stout, Vice President for Policy and Director of the Center for Health Care Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, as one of its 2007 Lincoln Fellows. “The Lincoln Fellowship is a prestigious program,” said Foundation President Brooke Rollins. “The 76 previous Lincoln Fellows include senior...
Press Release June 14, 2007The Texas Public Policy Foundation applauds the Texas Senate’s approval yesterday of HB 735, which will finally kill off the unnecessary Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF) tax. “The TIF’s mission was completed four years ago but Texans still pay the tax on every bill,” said Foundation chief economist Byron Schlomach. “This is an opportunity for the...
Press Release May 24, 2007Senate amendments added to HB 2006 and HB 3057 earlier this week significantly strengthen both property owners’ rights and limit the abuse of eminent domain. “We have waited for these bills since the Kelo ruling almost two years ago,” said Bill Peacock, director of the Foundation’s Center for Economic Freedom. “If the House adopts the...
Press Release May 24, 2007AUSTIN – Marc Levin, Director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, will be honored on the House floor Monday morning for his efforts to reform the Texas Youth Commission and the adult corrections system. Resolutions to be introduced by House Corrections Chairman Jerry Madden will recognize Levin, Texas Ranger...
Press Release May 11, 2007"Texas taxpayers will be outraged once they learn that 81 members of their Texas House have taken hostage all future property tax relief until the Legislature authorizes a massive increase in state spending. Ken Paxton, Rob Eissler, and Bryan Hughes are heroes for standing up for the taxpayers in the face of their 81 colleagues...
Press Release May 10, 2007AUSTIN – Today, the Texas House of Representatives failed to protect taxpayers when it fell seven votes short of the 100 necessary to pass HJR 44 by Rep. Dan Branch (R-Dallas). HJR 44 was a proposed constitutional amendment that would have required a two-thirds majority vote by each house of the Legislature to increase the...
Press Release May 7, 2007AUSTIN – The Texas Public Policy Foundation urged the Texas House of Representatives to pass HB 2785 by Rep. Ken Paxton (R-McKinney), scheduled for floor debate later today. The bill would provide an additional 9-cent property tax cut on top of the 50-cent cut passed during last year’s special session. “I have been around this...
Press Release May 4, 2007"At the start of this session, we calculated the amount the state budget could increase without creating an additional burden for Texas taxpayers. Keeping the increase in the state budget to roughly 9 percent and in line with estimated population and inflation growth over the coming biennium, we applauded the Legislature for staying near that...
Press Release April 26, 2007AUSTIN – Yesterday’s House passage of HB 461 is a small but significant step toward removing disproportionate punishments from Texas law, according to the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “With more than 1,700 criminal offenses in state law, HB 461 presents a unique opportunity to roll back a unduly harsh penalty that could send honest farmers...
Press Release April 25, 2007AUSTIN – “State employees concerned about the cost and quality of their health care should tell their legislators to let them choose Health Savings Accounts,” according to Mary Katherine Stout, Vice President of Policy and Director of the Center for Health Care Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Stout made her comments following the...
Press Release April 19, 2007