When our freedoms are at risk, the Texas Public Policy Foundation will be there fighting for liberty at every level. Check out our latest wins! 

National: Looking At You, Election 👀

In case you haven't heard, there's an election going on and we may face some new challenges (thanks 2020 🙄). For example, we may not see a clear winner in the race for President on Election Night or even for a few weeks after the election. On top of that, some are trying to suggest that there might be turbulence should a transition of power in the White House be necessary. 

 As questions surrounding the election continue to mount, we joined the Claremont Institute for a simulation of potential outcomes and challenges. We found that our Constitution can handle any challenge it may face, even those presented in 2020. Find out more by watching our livestream Election Outlook: What to Watch for Now and November 3rd. 👇

State: Not Sorry, We're Closed 😐

When you want to know what your government is up to with your tax dollars, all you have to do is put in a public information request. Then jump through a few hoops. Then a few more hoops. And a few more. Before you know it the information you requested is no longer relevant. 😖

During the economic shutdown the need for transparency is even more important so we can hold our elected officials accountable. TPPF Senior Fellow Ellen Troxclair moderated a discussion with Representative Todd Hunter, ProPublica's Lexi Churchill, the Institute for Justice's Arif Panju, and TPPF's James Quintero on this critical topic. Watch it now!

Local: Houston, We Have a Problem ⚠️

The Houston city council has chosen to raise taxes on it's residents by adopting a property tax rate of $0.561840 per $100 of taxable value. This equates to an average increase from $1,365 to $1,407 per year. When pressed by the public to cut spending instead, Mayor Sylvester Turner suggested he the only area they could cut spending was public safety. He must have forgotten the taxpayer funded lobbying contracts and tax funded media parties... 💁

“The Houston city council voted to raise taxes despite the Bayou City’s 9.6% unemployment rate and continued business closures. The poor and elderly will be hurt the most from the city’s aggressive tax hike,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “The Texas Legislature should not forget the city of Houston’s actions. There is much work to do to protect taxpayers in the next legislative session, especially with respect to strengthening the 3.5% limit.”