Signaling that we are getting closer to the end of the 2015 legislative budget process, both the full Senate and the House have voted out their respective proposals for the
With just weeks remaining in the regular session of the 84th Legislature, House and Senate conferees are working out the two chambers’ different versions of House Bill 1, the 2016-17
The Health and Human Services Commission Sunset consolidation plan is less spooky than before, but still too scary for many. The House Committee on Human Services holds a public hearing
April might seem a little early for a graduation ceremony, but there I was handing out mock diplomas on the steps of the Texas Capitol surrounded by bright-eyed students in
As Texans, we’re a fierce and competitive bunch, and in the last few years our state has touted its record on low taxes and economic growth. There’s no doubt that
In a phone call to the state’s Health and Human Services Commission last week, the federal government told Texas that its decision on continuing the “uncompensated care” portion of the
Imagine if every child in Texas had a college savings account. Imagine the peace of mind and confidence that accumulated savings in this account would give to students as they
Earlier this week the House Committee on Public Education heard HB 1759, a proposal by Chairman Jimmie Don Aycock that would make sweeping changes to the school finance system. This bill
A just-released Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy report estimates that undocumented immigrants in Texas collectively paid $1.5 billion in property, sales, and excise taxes in 2012. (For other states
Today Texas law requires that a child must be without private health coverage for 90 days prior to enrolling in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), known as a CHIP