AUSTIN – 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, 2007AUSTIN – A report released today by the Texas Public Policy Foundation underscores how important it is that the Texas Legislature cut taxes on telecommunications services this session. “A Texas consumer that has a home telephone, a cell phone, and cable television service pays an average of $26.51 per month – just for taxes,” said...
Press Release April 19, 2007AUSTIN – The Senate has taken an important step toward rationalizing our criminal justice system by passing SB 1909 by Senators Rodney Ellis, John Carona, and Robert Deuell, according to Marc Levin, Director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “This legislation will save taxpayers $493 million by diverting low-level,...
Press Release April 17, 2007AUSTIN – The Texas House’s vote last night to punish its best teachers will undermine the state’s objectives to improve teacher quality and student performance, according to the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “The House’s action last night was shameful,” said Jamie Story, education policy analyst for the Foundation. “They slashed the pay of our best...
Press Release March 30, 2007AUSTIN – “Competition has brought substantial benefits to Texas in only a few years, both in absolute terms and relative to other states,” according to a study on the Texas electric market released today by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. The paper, “Competition in Texas Electric Markets: What Texas Did Right & What’s Left to...
Press Release March 27, 2007"Today's action illustrates the superiority of privatization over government provision of services. If a private vendor fails to meet the agency's expectations, the state can hold that vendor accountable. Government employees never face such scrutiny for similar failures. "We are glad to hear Commissioner Albert Hawkins' continued commitment to making service delivery more modern, efficient,...
Press Release March 13, 2007