On Wednesday, the Houston City Council will discuss adopting a property tax rate for fiscal year 2021. Officials have proposed a tax rate of $0.561840 per $100 of taxable value which will increase city taxes on the average homestead by $42 or 3.06%. The no-new-revenue tax rate—or the tax rate that will raise the same...
Press Release October 20, 2020Today, Right on Crime, a project of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, published the handbook From Costing the Taxpayers to Being Taxpayers: Why Second-Chance Hiring is Right on Crime which aims to assist employers in the hiring of individuals with criminal records. “During a 5-year period ending in 2018, over 42% of inmates in state and federal...
Press Release October 20, 2020The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Life:Powered project submitted public comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding its proposal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from airplanes. “Instead of further cementing the flawed notion that the Clean Air Act grants authority to regulate substances that are not pollutants, the EPA should focus its efforts on continuing...
Press Release October 20, 2020Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation published the paper Lessons from COVID-19: The Importance of Meaningful Contact between Foster Youth and Parents. “During the early days of COVID-19, child welfare agencies and courts with jurisdiction over child protection cases suspended in-person visitation between children and parents and postponed important reunification hearings,” said Andrew Brown, distinguished senior...
Press Release October 15, 2020An analysis of early voting in several major Texas counties shows that Texans are shifting how they vote and does not necessarily exhibit a surge in voting activity. The counties that have so far fully reported early voting are Tarrant, Bexar, Travis, Collin, Hidalgo, Montgomery, Galveston, and Cameron. These counties include several significant areas in Texas, such as...
Press Release October 14, 2020Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation published the paper Objection! Law Schools Can Be Hazardous to Students’ Financial Health. “Among academic fields with the most graduates, the field of law performed the worst on a debt-to-earnings test called the Gainful Employment Equivalent (GEE),” said the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Andrew Gillen, Ph.D. “Of the 168...
Press Release October 13, 2020Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation published the paper Exposing Overreach: Harris County. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, state and local officials have been operating under broad authority placing many new rules and restrictions on Texans and their engagement in everyday activities,” said Shelby Sterling, policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “Some of these restrictions,...
Press Release October 7, 2020Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation published the paper Border Security at a Crossroads: The Uncertain Future of America’s Southwestern Border. “The United States experienced a massive surge of migrants making their way to America’s southwestern borders in 2019,” said the paper’s co-author Igor Magalhaes. “Unlike previous waves of migrants, this one was comprised primarily...
Press Release October 5, 2020Today, on the 185th anniversary of the Battle of Gonzales, the Texas Public Policy Foundation proudly released the first episode in the “Forging Texas” video series, “Season of Revolution,” focusing on Texas’ storied history. “The story of the Texas Revolution is the story of ourselves—who we are, how we came to be, and what it means...
Press Release October 2, 2020Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation commends Gov. Greg Abbott’s proclamation “enhancing ballot security protocols for the in-person delivery of marked mail ballots for the November 3rd Election.” “As serious allegations have surfaced recently showing the risk of unsecured ballot drop locations, it is more crucial than ever to provide Texas voters with confidence that their vote,...
Press Release October 1, 2020Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation published the paper Which Texas Public College Degrees Require Excessive Student Debt? “Across the county, the debate over whether and to what extent a college degree justifies the time and expense required to attain it rages on,” says Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Andrew Gillen, Ph.D. “But this is the wrong...
Press Release September 30, 2020Today the Texas Public Policy Foundation published the paper Mail-In Balloting in Texas: Weaknesses and Recommendations. “Texas election law limits the use of mail-in ballots to those 65 and older and those with a disability that would make it difficult or dangerous to vote in person,” says the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Vice President of National...
Press Release September 30, 2020