This week, Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) released the Healthcare PRICE Transparency Act to make permanent the rule established in the executive order by President Trump. “People avoid needed care because of the secretive pricing of hospitals,” said David Balat, policy director of Right on Healthcare at...
Press Release July 2, 2020The United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement’s entry into force will bolster North American trade, support the American energy industry, and encourage trading partners to meet America’s environmental standards as a world leader in clean air. “This trade agreement is a critical move toward maintaining America’s status as a global energy powerhouse,” said Jason Isaac, senior manager and distinguished fellow of Life:Powered, a national initiative of...
Press Release July 2, 2020Washington, D.C. – Several top U.S. conservative leaders and organizations, representing millions of members, are amenable to making current beneficiaries of the soon-to-be defunct Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program at least eligible for renewable residency permits (with a lasting bar to U.S. citizenship, due to their initial unlawful entry into the country), but...
Press Release June 30, 2020AUSTIN – Today the Texas Supreme Court published its unanimous opinion in In Re C.J.C., Relator vindicating the rights of a father who was forced by a trial court to share custody of his daughter with her mother’s former boyfriend. The court’s decision overturned the trial court’s order and restored full custody of the child to her father. “Today’s...
Press Release June 26, 2020Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation filed an opening brief with the United States Supreme Court on behalf of its clients, the individual plaintiffs, in California v. Texas. “The Court should affirm the Fifth Circuit’s judgment that the individual mandate violates the Commerce Clause and affirm the District Court’s judgment that the individual mandate is not severable from...
Press Release June 25, 2020AUSTIN – Yesterday, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at strengthening the American child welfare system. “President Trump’s executive order is a major step forward in creating a more compassionate child welfare system that preserves and strengthens families,” said Andrew Brown, distinguished senior fellow of child and family policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “It...
Press Release June 25, 2020Today, United States District Judge Carl Nichols ruled in favor of the Trump Administration to make the negotiated rates between hospitals and insurers transparent. “This is an important ruling and a great step toward making the healthcare industry less opaque by requiring that they post the real prices for patients to see,” said David Balat,...
Press Release June 23, 2020Today, Senator Mike Braun (R-Ind.) unveiled a bill to reform qualified immunity for law enforcement. The Reforming Qualified Immunity Act would increase accountability across the board. “Long-lasting, meaningful reform starts with fixing qualified immunity to protect the rights of citizens secured by the Constitution while protecting good police officers,” said Dr. Derek Cohen, policy director of...
Press Release June 23, 2020Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation published the paper Punished for Being Poor: The Relationship Between Poverty and Neglect in Texas. “Removing a child from their home is a traumatic event that has been shown to cause long-lasting negative effects,” said Nikki Pressley, a policy analyst with the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “In Texas, over 90%...
Press Release June 23, 2020As Austin’s new ordinance restricting the rights of citizens across the city goes into full effect today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Executive Director Kevin Roberts released the following statement: “Austin city officials have consistently redefined public health goals to justify unnecessary and ineffective restrictions on the actions of citizens. Austin is not and has never been close to seeing our health care system...
Press Release June 23, 2020Today, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released state-level labor market data for May 2020. Texas, which started responsibly reopening its economy in early May, led the nation with 237,000 net nonfarm jobs added at a pace of 2% compared to California who delayed their opening and added 141,600 jobs last month at only a 0.9%...
Press Release June 19, 2020The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Executive Director Kevin Roberts, Ph.D., a historian of American slavery and former college president, released the following statement in celebration of Juneteenth: “Today, much of the nation celebrates the Texas holiday of Juneteenth. Juneteenth formally commemorates the 19th of June, 1865, when General Gordon Granger of the United States Army,...
Press Release June 19, 2020