Down to the Wire
Hundreds of bills have run out of time in the Texas Legislature, but a flurry of amendments and maneuvers mean several policy solutions – and some policy nightmares – still
May 15, 2015
Our Blog
Let Texans Decide on Increasing Minimum Wage
HJR 26 by Representative Trey Martinez-Fischer is a strong bill that would allow voters to decide whether to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. The proposal is scheduled
May 14, 2015
The Least-Worst Way to Under-Invest
Tax cuts are the wrong priority – Texans would be better served if lawmakers increased investments in public services. However, as I told members of the House Ways & Means
May 13, 2015
Flat-Dollar Homestead Exemption Benefits Homeowners and Municipalities
In Texas, school districts grant residential homeowners a flat-dollar-amount homestead exemption of $15,000, but local governments are currently prohibited from doing the same. While they can offer percentage exemptions, the
May 11, 2015
Pre-K Gets Low Score, HB 4 Won’t Change That
The annually released rankings of state-supported Pre-K programs by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) once again show that Texas ranks last in quality standards measures compared to
May 11, 2015
The Coverage Gap and the Welcome Mat Effect
By Caitlin Shea, CPPP Research and KIDS Count Intern What is the coverage gap? The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was written to provide affordable health coverage to adults through two
May 8, 2015
Scarlet Letters on Insurance ID Cards
Imagine if your approximate income was printed on your health insurance ID card alongside your copay and deductible amounts. Would you consider it an invasion of privacy if staff at
May 7, 2015
No One Benefits from Enrollment Roadblocks
With the legislative clock ticking, there has been plenty of talk about the major investments lawmakers could make to improve life in Texas. But there are also a host of
May 7, 2015
Headline From the Future: Who Passed All These Short-Sighted Tax Cuts?
Public attention is currently focused on the large tax-cut bills that both the House and the Senate passed, in different forms. The House plan, which would reduce the rates of
May 4, 2015
New Research Makes the Case for Pre-K
By CPPP Communications Intern Arthur D. Soto-Vásquez Newly released research from the Child and Family Research Partnership (CFRP) at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT Austin demonstrates the
April 30, 2015
FAQ: Texas Taxes and Tax Cut Proposals
The House and Senate have different tax cut proposals, generating many questions about what these tax cuts could mean for the future of Texas. Here are some answers to frequently
April 28, 2015
Mental Health Reintegration Services’ Eligibility Is Too Limited
By CPPP Policy Analyst Katharine Ligon and CPPP Mental Health Policy Intern Lauren Rosales 35 percent of individuals incarcerated in Texas prisons today struggle, or have struggled, with some form
April 28, 2015
