School Choice Advocates Laud HB 3
Leaders in the Texas House of Representatives unveiled a package of priority legislation related to education yesterday, including a bill to create an Education Savings Account program that school choice advocates lauded. House Bill 3, filed by State Representative Brad Buckley, would create a universal school choice program with initial funding of $1 billion from […]
Paxton Testimony Raises Questions About High-Dollar Legal Contracts
In recent testimony before the Texas Senate Finance Committee, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton testified that his office needed to hire outside lawyers to sue tech giants such as Meta and other large businesses under contingent-fee contracts because his office did not have the necessary appropriations to undertake the litigation. However, this was not the […]
House Committee Assignments Bode Well for Conservative Priorities
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced committee assignments for the Texas House yesterday, with his appointments signaling a desire to unify Republican lawmakers around conservative policy priorities. Under House rules passed earlier this session, a Republican will chair all standing committees of the Texas House. Additionally, Burrows appointed Republican majorities to all committees. Of the […]
Bail Reform Bills Set for Hearing
A package of bills related to setting bail for accused criminals will be heard tomorrow (February 12) in the Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee. Governor Abbott designated Bail reform as an emergency item in his recent State of the State address, allowing lawmakers to pass bills regarding the subject during the first 60 days of the […]
Harris County Green Lights Litigation Against Trump Administration
Officials in Harris County voted yesterday to give Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee broad authority to take legal action against the Trump administration at taxpayer expense. By a vote of 3-1, the Harris County Commissioners Court approved a motion authorizing Menefee “to initiate any legal action, intervene in existing litigation, file amicus briefing, and file public […]
“Building a Stronger Texas”: Abbott Announces Emergency Items at State of the State Address
Speaking behind a podium emblazoned with the words “Building a Stronger Texas,” Governor Greg Abbott delivered his State of the State address Sunday night. During his speech, Abbott announced seven emergency items: property tax relief, water infrastructure, teacher pay raises, expanding career training, school choice, bail reform, and the creation of the Texas Cyber Command. By designating these subjects as emergency items, […]
Former Trump Attorney Who Agreed to Cooperate with Fani Wills Received $20k From Dunn-Funded PAC
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include comment from Ellis. Jenna Ellis, a former attorney for President Donald J. Trump who later repudiated Trump and agreed to cooperate with Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis in her prosecutions of Trump and his co-defendants, was paid $20,000 late last year by a political action committee […]
School Choice Bill Filed in Texas Senate
The Chairman of the Texas Senate’s Education Committee filed legislation dubbed the “Texas Education Freedom Act” on Friday to create an Education Savings Account (ESA) program in Texas. The bill, Senate Bill 2 by State Senator Brandon Creighton, is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Education Committee on January 28. “School choice is a […]
Texas House Bans Democrat Chairs
With the support of more than two-thirds of the Republican members of the Texas House of Representatives, the House passed a new rules package that includes a requirement that only members of the majority party can serve as committee chairmen. The vote on the new rules provided an opportunity for a supermajority of Republican lawmakers […]
Aide Who Pled Guilty to Felony Commercial Bribery Rejoins Sid Miller’s Payroll
An embattled Austin political consultant with longstanding ties to Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller rejoined Miller’s payroll just days after pleading guilty to a felony charge of commercial bribery. According to Miller’s most recent campaign finance report filed with the Texas Ethics Commission, Miller’s campaign paid Todd M. Smith $1,500 on November 1, 2024, and an additional […]