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Countdown to Policy Orientation 2020

What to Know: More and more states—including Texas—are looking to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying.

The TPPF Take: A recent poll shows that 91 percent of Texans oppose taxpayer-funded lobbying, a topic that will be part of the discussions at Policy Orientation 2020 next week.

“Local officials are free to pick up the phone and talk with their legislators whenever they wish,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “But they shouldn’t spend taxpayers’ hard-earned money to lobby for bills that, in the end, usually mean higher taxes and more regulations. The Legislature has an opportunity to curtail that practice in the coming legislative session.”

Endangered Species?

What to Know: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has plans to add 45 new species—the most ever—to its Endangered Species lists, based on flawed info.

The TPPF Take: The Texas Public Policy Foundation has submitted a comment to TPWD opposing the move.

“Since at least 2015, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has made regulatory reform a cornerstone of his Administration’s priorities,” says TPPF’s Robert Henneke. “Yet, in one fell swoop, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department proposes to impose regulatory burdens and criminal penalties upon private property owners across Texas. TPPF calls upon TPWD to withdraw, in total, the proposed rules.”

Medicaid Mess

What to Know: New York’s Medicaid funding is facing a $6.1 billion deficit this year alone.

The TPPF Take: Medicaid’s bureaucratic morass drives prices up, not down.

“The cost of health care has risen every time government involvement increases and layers of bureaucracy are added,” says TPPF’s David Balat. “Medicare-for-All would mean much more bureaucracy, more costs, and far less care—and, we know now, fewer jobs. Instead of Medicare-for-All, Congress should let states take up health care reform.”