Conservative Texas Budget

What to Know: The Young Conservatives of Texas, one of the largest political organizations for college students in the country, has endorsed TPPF’s Conservative Texas Budget for the upcoming biennium.

The TPPF Take: So far, the proposed budgets in both the House and the Senate fit within the CTB guidelines laid out by TPPF.

“At a time when many Texas families and employers are struggling financially across the state, we appreciate the work of the Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dade Phelan, Senate Finance Chair Jane Nelson, Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, and others who introduced a state budget that protects taxpayers,” says TPPF’s Vance Ginn. “It controls spending growth, keeps property taxes lower, doesn’t raise other taxes or tap into the rainy day fund. The state budget is a responsible approach that puts Texans in a better position to recover their lives and livelihoods as soon as the economy is fully open.”

For more on the Conservative Texas Budget, click here.

Hey, My Grandpa Had One of Those

What to Know: The city of Austin is still paying for hundreds of pagers, which are now rarely used—if ever.

The TPPF Take: Local independent audits would help find and eliminate more examples of silly spending.

“We need to more fully investigate Austin’s $4.2 billion budget to look for other opportunities to modernize its operation and stop wasteful spending,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “One way to help get this done is through the use of a third-party independent audit. Incidentally, they are a tool that every large city and county should wield.”

For more on local independent audits, click here.

Higher Prices

What to Know: President Biden has frozen President Trump’s rule that resulted in lower prices for insulin and ephedrine.

The TPPF Take: To help counteract this move, Texas should allow doctors to dispense medicines to patients.

“Those opposed to allowing physicians to dispense medicines say they are worried about patient safety, the need for regulatory oversight, and potential conflicts of interest,” says TPPF’s David Balat. “Even though all of these points have been debunked, Texas is still one of five states in the nation that does not allow for a competitive option that is safe and affordable.”

For more on allowing doctors to dispense medications, click here.