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Op-Ed: Don’t scuttle Medicare Part D with price controls
By John Colyandro and Tom Aldred Published by the El Paso Times - May 19, 2013 In the budget battle in Washington, President Obama has advocated eliminating what he terms “subsidies to prescription-drug companies.” In fact, they are not subsidies at all. Instead, the president’s proposal …
Read MoreDMN Editorial: Texas House needs to pass water funding bill
Published: 02 May 2013 06:47 PM Updated: 02 May 2013 07:11 PM At the outset of this year’s Legislature, Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus were clear: Legislators must find a way to fund Texas’ 50-year water plan. The Republican leaders …
Read MoreRemediation Not Litigation: A TCCRI Policy White Paper
Introduction Since at least the late Eighties, the Texas Legislature and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) have encouraged the cleanup of contaminated properties in a myriad of ways. For example, the Petroleum Storage Tank Responsible Party Lead Program, the Voluntary Cleanup Program, the …
Read MoreOp-Ed: Economic development incentives must be effective
By John Colyandro & Tom Aldred Published by the San Antonio Express-News, March 29, 2013 Texas’ unemployment rate of 6.1 percent is the lowest of the 10 most populous states and is significantly lower than the national average of 7.9 percent. Our state is also …
Read MoreRejecting Medicaid Expansion Part II – Dispelling Myths: A TCCRI Policy White Paper
This policy white paper addresses many of the myths that underpin arguments for expanding Medicaid. Specifically, those myths dispelled by the paper are: Medicaid expansion will reduce uncompensated care costs to hospitals. Medicaid expansion will reduce the number of uninsured Texans. By not expanding Medicaid, …
Read MoreThe Mirage of “Food Deserts”: A TCCRI Policy White Paper
Download the full paper, The Mirage of “Food Deserts” (PDF) First employed in the United Kingdom in the 1990s , the term “food desert” has recently been adopted as a cause célèbre by advocates, who refer to “food deserts” as “nutritional wastelands” as part of …
Read MoreContracting for Best Value: A TCCRI Policy White Paper
Executive Summary In the 2012-2013 fiscal biennium, Texas state agencies and institutions of higher education will be responsible for over $170 billion in state and federal funds. Many of these expenditures will be delivered through contracts for service from a variety of private sector employers: …
Read MoreDon’t Sink Medicare Part D With Price Controls: A TCCRI Issue Brief
In the budget battle in Washington, President Obama has advocated eliminating, what he terms, “subsidies to prescription-drug companies.” In fact, they are not subsidies at all. Instead, the President’s proposal would fundamentally change how Medicare’s Prescription Drug Plan works by eliminating the competition that makes this program …
Read MorePublic Private Partnerships Benefit Texas: A TCCRI Policy White Paper
Download a PDF copy of Public Private Partnerships Benefit Texas Texas’ Transportation Needs Transportation financing remains an urgent concern for state lawmakers. The All-Funds budget for the Texas Department of Transportation for 2012-2013 was nearly $20 billion, with about half going to planning, right-of-way acquisition and construction. …
Read MoreRejecting Medicaid Expansion: A TCCRI Policy White Paper
Executive Summary In spite of the growing number of Republican Governors who have indicated that they will accept the Medicaid expansion, a central feature of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care (PPACA), the Texas Legislature must continue to resist the expansion. Fundamentally, expanding the Medicaid program is …
Read MoreThe 2013 Class of Clements Scholars
The 2013 Class of Clements Scholars is comprised of five students, each of whom works in the office of a State Senator or a State Representative. Please click to learn more about the 2013 Clements Scholars, and our program.
Read MoreStatement on Phasing-out the Franchise Tax
AUSTIN, TX – As entrepreneurs convene in Austin for the National Federation of Independent Business “Small Business Day,” the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute (TCCRI) released the following statement, attributable to John Colyandro, TCCRI Executive Director: “According to an in-depth, dynamic economic study by the …
Read MoreDebt: Burying America – A TCCRI Economic Freedom Summit – March 18
Watch the event live online, starting Monday, March 18 at 11:30am (Central): Please join TCCRI for a policy summit featuring Comptroller Susan Combs, State Senator Kelly Hancock, State Representative Cindy Burkett, State Representative Jim Murphy, State Representative Ron Simmons, and respected national leaders who will …
Read MoreA Review of Select Texas Economic Incentives
A superior economic development policy rests on a foundation of low, broad, transparent and easily-compiled taxes. Grounding economic development on these principles is especially necessary with increasing economic competition among the states. Other states are beginning to follow the Texas model, enacting policies that make …
Read MoreOp-Ed: Special purpose districts are weaving a tangled tax web
By John Colyandro & Tom Aldred Published by the Houston Chronicle | February 14, 2013 Two recent national studies show that Texas has among the highest sales tax and property tax burdens in the country. Comptroller Susan Combs’ report “Your Money and the Taxing Facts” …
Read MoreOp-Ed: Texas’ road, gas taxes should not be diverted any longer
By John Colyandro & Brent Connett Published by Austin Business Journal on February 8, 2013 Transportation infrastructure is among the first priorities of state government, and is a critical component of any robust free market economy. In recent decades, however, vehicles have become more fuel …
Read MorePublic Sector Reform Task Force Report
Chairman: State Representative Phil King The final report of the 2011-2012 TCCRI Public Sector Reform Task Force provides background and makes recommendations in four areas: State bureaucracy State debt A moratorium on new taxing entities Government efficiency Download a PDF copy of the Public Sector …
Read MoreFederalism and the Federal Government: A policy white paper
Texas is fully capable of addressing its health care, environmental, and educational issues at the state level (an assertion which is fully supported by legislation passed over the past decade, including the General Appropriations Acts). Indeed, our federalist system of government demands it, and in …
Read MoreTechnology Summit – Austin – February 19, 2013
Keeping Texas a technology leader is an economic and cultural imperative. What can the Legislature do to keep Texas primed for continued economic growth in the Technology sector? At the Technology Summit, public and private sector participants will address several key issues of importance to …
Read MoreImproving State Agency Performance: Time to Sunset the Sunset Process?
Executive Summary The State of Texas has a unique process by which the Legislature can closely examine the functions of each state agency and make significant reforms. Begun in 1977, the “Sunset” process is a regular assessment of agency operations and missions, and an overall …
Read MoreOp-Ed: High cost of health reform
By John Colyandro and Tom Aldred Published by: Houston Chronicle | January 14, 2013 Houston Community News | January 23, 2013 San Antonio Express News | January 27, 2013 El Paso Times | January 27, 2013 The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is characterized …
Read MoreBe Bold Texas! Irving Town Hall Meeting – Jan. 25
The time has come to significantly reform and limit our taxes. Join us for a discussion on limiting government, growing the economy, and creating jobs. We need your feedback! The current crisis in Washington demands bold action in Texas. By rethinking, reforming, and reducing state …
Read MoreBe Bold Texas: A principled case for substantial franchise tax reform (Part I)
The final report of the TCCRI State Taxation Task Force Co-Chairmen: State Senator Dan Patrick, State Senator Ken Paxton, and State Representative Jim Murphy This report lays out the case for elimination of the franchise tax. Part II of this report (which is forthcoming) advocates …
Read MoreOp-Ed: Good revenue message should prompt tax cuts
BY JOHN COLYANDRO AND TOM ALDRED Special to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram - January 14, 2013 The biennial revenue estimate released Monday by State Comptroller Susan Combs should provide the impetus for significant tax reduction during the legislative session. Combs certified that there would be $101 …
Read MoreBe Bold Texas! Presentation
The Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute has initiated a series of Town Hall Meetings across the state to gather public feedback on bold tax reduction and reform proposals. A preview of the TCCRI “Be Bold Texas!” presentation is posted below. Comprehensive data and analysis, along …
Read MoreEconomic Freedom Summit – Jan. 16, 2013
In order to keep Texas an economic powerhouse, the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute will host an Economic Freedom Summit in Austin on January 16, 2013. The Summit will feature leaders from the private sector who will share insights into the underpinnings of Texas’ economic …
Read MoreBe Bold Texas! Town Hall Meetings
The time has come to significantly reform and limit our taxes. On December 5 and 7, TCCRI is hosting four Be Bold Texas! Town Hall Meetings in order to foster discussion on limiting government, growing the economy, and creating jobs. The current crisis in Washington …
Read MoreOp-Ed: School debt blurs focus of what is important
By John Colyandro & Brent Connett Published by the Amarillo Globe-News on Saturday, November 17, 2012 The decades-long saga of school finance litigation re-opened with a new trial in Austin, with school districts sounding an all-too-familiar refrain: “more money now.” As school districts sue the …
Read MoreStatement: Sen. Craig Estes’ bold tax reform plan deserves serious consideration
AUSTIN, TX – On the first day to file legislation for the 2013 session of the Texas Legislature, Senator Craig Estes (R – Wichita Falls) filed a bill to repeal the Texas business franchise tax. TCCRI Executive Director John Colyandro stated: For Texas to continue …
Read MoreTCCRI Education Summit – December 3
Public education reform will be among the most significant issues considered by the next Legislature and there is much to discuss and debate prior to the start of the 83rd Legislative Session. Please plan to join the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute (TCCRI) for a …
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“Mere unthinking negative opposition to the current of events, clutching in despair at what we still retain, will not suffice in this age. A conservatism of instinct must be reinforced by a conservatism of thought and imagination.” — Russell Kirk