News from February 2024
Texas Water Development Board Seeks Public Input for Texas Water Fund
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 29, 2024
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is seeking public input to aid in the implementation of the Texas Water Fund, as reported on February 28, 2024. The Texas Water Fund was approved by Texas voters through Proposition 6 in November 2023, allocating $1 billion for water infrastructure upgrades, innovative water supply projects, and a statewide water public awareness program.In a statement, the TWDB announced, "Of the $1 billion appropriated to the Texas Water Fund, the TWDB must allocate at least $250 million to the New Water Supply for Texas Fund to implement...
Understanding the unique mission of charter schools in Texas: a chat with Starlee Coleman
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 28, 2024
HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR INTERVIEW WITH STARLEE COLEMAN, CEO OF TEXAS PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION
Family History Day Workshop Scheduled at Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 28, 2024
The upcoming Family History Day workshop at the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center aims to assist individuals in preserving their family's historical treasures. According to Tonia Wood, the TSLAC Information Services Supervisor, the event will provide attendees with the opportunity to discover and preserve their family's history.Wood will be leading sessions on finding ancestors' stories within the SHC and TSLAC collections, as well as providing guidance on the basic preservation of paper-based materials. In preparation for the workshop, participants are...
TPPF Announces Tax, Spending, and Local Government Policy Priorities
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 28, 2024
The Texas Public Policy Foundation's Taxpayer Protection Project has unveiled its legislative agenda for the upcoming 89th Texas Legislative Session, focusing on tax, spending, and local government policies aimed at reducing the government burden on Texans. According to TPP Policy Director James Quintero, the organization's primary goal is to enhance transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility within all levels of government.Quintero emphasized the importance of eliminating taxpayer-funded lobbying, stating, "Break the chain of using tax dollars to fund...
Senator Bettencourt says Austin rail project financing is 'likely unconstitutional'
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 27, 2024
During the 88th legislative session, Senator Paul Bettencourt (SD-7) authored a bill which sought to address the City of Austin’s novel financing mechanism for its $7 billion light rail project. While the House version of the bill (HB3899) was on the floor of the Senate, Bettencourt added an amendment that would explicitly prohibit a municipality from issuing debt backed by maintenance & operations property tax revenue. The amended bill passed the Texas Senate 27-3.
Texas state Rep. Penny Morales Shaw's bill priorities include paid parental leave, youth pre-trial intervention and a special environmental remediation fund
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 27, 2024
Texas State Representative Penny Morales Shaw, a Democrat, has outlined her legislative priorities in an interview with the Lone Star Standard. These include paid parental leave, youth pre-trial prevention, and a special environmental remediation fund. Morales Shaw is currently campaigning for re-election to represent District 148 in the Texas House of Representatives.
TPPF Commends Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and Speaker Dade Phelan on Their Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council Appointments
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 27, 2024
Governor Greg Abbott appointed members to Texas’ Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council, a move commended by the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF). The council, established through Rep. Giovanni Capriglione’s House Bill 2060, aims to oversee the use of AI in state agencies and consider the implementation of a code of ethics for AI systems in government.Among the appointed members are John Bash, Mark Stone, Ph.D., Dean Teffer, Ph.D., and Angela Wilkins, Ph.D. Speaker Dade Phelan selected Representative Giovanni Capriglione as co-chair, while Lieutenant Governor Dan...
Go Behind the Headlines with Latest Exhibit from State Archives
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 27, 2024
The latest exhibit at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) titled "Extra! Extra! Eyes of the World on Texas" has opened in Austin. The exhibit, which focuses on significant events that captured national and international attention, is now on display at the Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library Building in downtown Austin and online.According to the announcement, the exhibit showcases moments in history when Texas was in the spotlight for various reasons, both tragic and triumphant. As stated in the release, "Such events were often terrible and...
Texas state Rep. Ana Hernandez: 'SB4, an unconstitutional law that authorizes any peace officer in TX to engage in federal immigration enforcement'
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 27, 2024
Texas state Rep. Ana Hernandez recently expressed her opposition to SB 4 on social media, stating her belief that the bill is unconstitutional. According to the text of the bill, SB 4 would criminalize illegal entry into Texas.
Texas State Library and Archives Commission Loans Iconic “Travis Letter” to Alamo Through March 24
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 24, 2024
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) has loaned the famous letter written by William Barret Travis on Feb. 24, 1836, signed “Victory or Death,” to the Alamo Trust. The public is invited to view this iconic Texas Treasure from Feb. 23 through March 24, 2024, at the Alamo Exhibit at the Ralston Family Collection Center, 300 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX.Gloria Meraz, TSLAC Librarian and Director, expressed, “The Commission’s loan of the Travis letter for this exhibit presents a special opportunity for Texans to view what is perhaps the most famous document...
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz to Speak at Texas Policy Summit
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 24, 2024
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz from Texas has been announced as the closing keynote speaker at the upcoming Texas Policy Summit. The announcement was made by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the organization hosting the event. The summit, scheduled for March 22nd, is expected to address various pressing topics, including border security, education, and the economy.The CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Greg Sindelar, expressed his excitement about having Senator Cruz as the closing keynote speaker. Sindelar highlighted Cruz's long-standing advocacy for border security...
CLEAT Legislative Director: Recent poll shows ‘75% of the people had a fear of crime’ impacting them in the next year
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 23, 2024
Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) Executive Director Charley Wilkison said Texans are feeling increasingly unsafe due to increasing crime rates.
Supreme Court of Texas to Hear Case on Public Sector Unions' "Release Time" Scheme
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 23, 2024
The Supreme Court of Texas is set to hear oral arguments on public sector labor unions' "release time" scheme, which forces taxpayers to pay union organizers' salaries and finance their activities. The Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Goldwater Institute are representing taxpayers in the case."The City of Austin is in a public safety crisis that this release time policy only makes worse," said lead attorney Robert Henneke, executive director and general counsel at TPPF. "City of Austin firefighters should be doing their jobs, not being assigned to AFA union...
DPS Announces Leadership Promotions
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 23, 2024
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has announced significant leadership changes following the retirement of Lieutenant Colonel Dwight Mathis after over 35 years of service. DPS Director Steven McCraw expressed gratitude for Mathis' dedication, stating, "For more than three decades, Lt. Col. Mathis has committed his life to the people of Texas. It has been an honor to work alongside him, and I thank him for all he has done to make this department a better place for all."The vacancies created by Mathis' retirement have been filled through promotions approved by the...
Texas Water Development Board Executive Administrator Jeff Walker to retire
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 23, 2024
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) announced today that Jeff Walker, the Executive Administrator, will retire on March 5, 2024, after nearly eight years at the helm of the agency and over three decades with the TWDB.As one of the longest-serving TWDB Executive Administrators, Walker's tenure was marked by innovative vision and a commitment to transparency and results-driven achievements. TWDB Chairwoman Brooke Paup expressed her gratitude, saying, “Jeff’s steadfast leadership and unwavering dedication to Texas water these many years helped transform our agency and...
Public Sector Unions Receiving Tax Dollars Violates Texas Constitution’s “Gift Clause”
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 22, 2024
Attorneys from the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Goldwater Institute presented arguments before the Supreme Court of Texas in Borgelt v. Austin Firefighters Association, addressing the constitutionality of public sector labor unions' "release time" scheme. This scheme requires taxpayers to fund union organizers' salaries and activities, which was argued to violate the Texas Constitution's "gift clause."Lead attorney Robert Henneke from TPPF highlighted, "The Texas Constitution’s ‘gift clause’ prohibits municipalities from granting public money to private...
TCEQ announces Take Care of Texas program video contest winners
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 22, 2024
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has revealed the winners of the 2024 Take Care of Texas video contest. According to the agency, the competition aims to showcase ways to preserve Texas' environment and resources.Among the standout entries this year was a video from Emmanuel Vaughan, an 11th-grade student at George Bush High School in Richmond, TX. Vaughan's submission earned him the first-place spot in the high school category, along with a $2,500 scholarship.In the middle school division, Bianca Shipley, a 6th-grade student from Omar Bradley Middle School in...
District Court Set to Decide Whether Moab Area Off-Roading Trails Remain Open
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 22, 2024
Today's hearing at Utah's federal district court centered around the fate of 317 miles of public off-roading trails in the Moab, Utah area, as the Bureau of Land Management seeks to close them permanently. The closure of these trails would result in their likely disappearance due to natural forces over the next year.Representing the plaintiffs in this case are the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the BlueRibbon Coalition, the Colorado Offroad Trail Defenders, and Mr. Patrick McKay. Lead attorney Matt Miller, a senior attorney at the Center for the American Future at the...
The Road to Austin and Giving Back, a Conversation with Mark Teixeira
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 21, 2024
HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR INTERVIEW WITH MARK TEIXEIRA
CLEAT Legislative Director: If a policer officer is 'accused, they can just be railroaded right out of their job’
By Lone Star Standard | Feb 21, 2024
Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas (CLEAT) Executive Director Charley Wilkinson said that police officers facing legal action aren't granted the same due process rights as non-police officers.
