Issue-oriented position advocacy research on topics of public-policy

Limited Government

• Tapping the Rainy Day Fund & School Fund Balances (March 28, 2011)
  
• Electric Competition: Defending Consumer Choice - (April 2009)
• The Texas Civil Service Crisis: Part One of Three Reports on the Public Sector in Texas - (March 27, 2009)
• Stop Climbing Debt Mountain: A new approach to financing school facilities - (February 6, 2007)
• Strengthening Taxpayer Protection: The Imperative for Budget Reforms - (October 16, 2006)
• Medicaid and Health Care Reforms for Texas - (October 9, 2006)
• Energy, the Environment, and Economics: Continuing to Provide Reliable Electric Power - (August 21, 2006)
• Comment: Ugly Twin Taxes Fatten Government - A LIFT Perspective on a State Income Tax: (July 31, 2005)
• State Parks Must Aim for Self Sufficiency - (July 28, 2006)
• 10% Budget Cut is Sound Public Policy - A LIFT Perspective (June 22, 2006)
• Congress, Texas Must Strengthen Line Item Veto - A LIFT Perspective
  (June 21, 2006)
• Cigarette Taxes: Dedicate Bond Proceeds to Property Tax Relief - (April 24, 2006)
• A Time for Reckoning - A LIFT Perspective on Taxpayer Protection (November 2005)
• The Flawed Theology of Government Aid - A LIFT Perspective on Religion and CHIP (December 2005)
• The Charitable Marketplace Works - A LIFT Perspective on Private Sector Aid following Hurricane Katrina (September 2005)
• A State Income Tax: Historically, Constitutionally, and Economically Wrong: July 12th, 2004
• The Future of Rural Healthcare: March 17, 2000
• How Safe Is the Health Care Safety Net?: March 17, 2000
• The Shortage of Hospital Personnel: March 17, 2000
• Six Cautions on Expanding Medical Liability: February 18, 2000
• Health Care Fraud: February 18, 2000
• The Invasion of Medical Privacy: January 21, 2000
• The Influence of Federal Policy on Texas Health Care: January 21, 2000

Individual Liberties

• The School Choice Imperative: Must parents accept failure and still pay high property taxes? - (February 22, 2007)
• Porous Borders, Porous Elections: The Imperative to Verify Voters' Citizenship - (December, 2006)
• Politics in the Sunlight: The Benefits of an Elected Judiciary - (October 2, 2006)
• Human Trafficking and the Sex Trade: The Need for Tougher Penalties - (August 10, 2006)
• Planning for Retirement is a Personal Responsibility - (July 21, 2006)
• In Austin, We’re All Renters Now - (July 10, 2006)
• Aged and Disabled Doesn’t Mean Decrepit and Dependent - (June 30, 2006)
• TFT and CHIP - A LIFT Perspective (June 20, 2006)

Free Enterprise

• Stoking Lucifer's Furnace - (February 12, 2007)
• Big Oil Dog Pile - A LIFT Perspective on Gas Market Regulation (November 2005)
• Texas Enterprise Fund: A Sound Fiscal Investment - (April 17, 2005)

Traditional Family Values

• Putting Families First: Blaming Outsourcing Avoids the Issue - (December 7, 2006)
• Watch What Your Kids Eat - Or Government Will - A LIFT Perspective on Parental Responsibility (December 2005)
• Would Jesus Value Everyday Low Prices? - A LIFT Perspective on Religion and Free Markets (December 2005)

Role of Government

• STAR+Plus Medicaid Managed Care: The Best Option for Texas - A TCCRI LIFT Perspective - (March 13, 2009)
• Making the Grade: Texas Tuition Deregulation - (June 2, 2008)
• CHIP Application Form: Are Four Pages Really a Barrier? - (February 15, 2007)
• Universal Pre-K: More power to teacher unions; another attack on parental rights and responsibilities - (February 12, 2007)
• Sales Price Disclosure: A $250 Million Tax Hike on Homeowners - (December 4, 2006)
• Reforming the Funding Mechanism of the Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool - (November 29, 2006)
• Stop Passing the Buck: Local Elected Officials Should Serve on CADs - A LIFT Perspective (November 2006)
• Improving Access to Health Care: A Critique of Massachusetts’ Universal Health Care Plan - (October 12, 2006)
• The Role of Government: Blurred Lines between State and Local Government - (August 17, 2006)
• New Requirements Will Make Welfare Work - (July 19, 2006)
• The Rule of Law Should Rule the Day - A LIFT Perspective (June 20, 2006)
• "Presumed Value" Ends the Potential for Fraud - April 24, 2006
• Cigarette Taxes: Phase-In the Dollar per Pack Increase - April 19, 2006
• Strengthening Accreditation - Policy Perspective by Rep. Phil King and John Colyandro
• Distance Learning - Policy Perspective by Rep. Jerry Madden
  

From time-to-time, the Research Institute makes some of its publications available to the general public. We hope the information found below is helpful and informative.

Please note: Most documents are only available in "PDF" format, which requires the (FREE) Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you don't already have this program on your computer, you will need to download it.

• Funding Public Education Fairly (February 16, 2011)
  
  The final report of the TCCRI School Finance & Property Tax Task Force
• Health Care Reform: Charting a State Path (February 9, 2011)
  
  The final report of the TCCRI Health & Human Services Task Force
• Letting the Market Work (February 9, 2011)
  
  The final report of the TCCRI Insurance Task Force
• Generating Growth (February 2, 2011)
  
  The final report of the TCCRI Energy & Environment Task Force, which is co-chaired by State Senator Troy Fraser and State Representative Kelly Hancock.
• Maintaining Texas' Competitive Advantage (January 25, 2011)
  
  The joint report of the TCCRI Economic & Workforce Development Task Force, co-chaired by State Senator Craig Estes and State Representative Tan Parker; and the TCCRI Transportation Task Force, co-chaired by State Senator Mike Jackson and State Representative Linda Harper-Brown.
• Blueprint for a Balanced Budget (January 18, 2011)
  
  The final report of the TCCRI State Budget Task Force, co-chaired by State Senator Tommy Williams and State Representative Warren Chisum, provides a range of budget proposals to illustrate that the 2012-13 general revenue budget can and must be balanced without raising taxes.
• Final Report of the TCCRI Property Tax Task Force (February 2009)
• Meeting Future Energy Needs: Final Report of the TCCRI Energy & Environment Task Force - (January 2009)
• State Approaches to Illegal Immigration (Updated 2007) - Full Report
  
  Download the following sections individually:
  • Executive Summary
  • Voter ID & Citizenship Verification
  • Citizenship Verification for Receipt of Public Benefits
  • Employer Sanctions
  • Illegal Immigrants and Public Education
  • State Enforcement of Federal Immigration Laws
• Saving Money, Saving Families - Final report of the Families First (Phase II) Task Force - (February 2007)
• Protecting Private Property Rights: Reforming Eminent Domain in Texas - Final Report of the Property Rights and Land Use Task Force (November 2006)
• State Approaches to Illegal Immigration - Final Report of the Illegal Immigration Task Force (October 2006)
• Choosing a New Path - Part I of the Final Report of the TCCRI State Taxation Task Force (March 2006)
• Revisiting a Sound Public Policy Approach: Dedicating Surpluses for Property Tax Reduction - Part II of the Final Report of the TCCRI State Taxation Task Force (April 2006)
• Two Steps to Long-Lasting Property Tax Relief -  Part III of the Final Report of the TCCRI State Taxation Task Force (April 2006)
• Valuing the Family - A Report of the Texas Families First Task Force (February 2005)
• Improving Health Care for All Texans - A Report of the HHS Task Force (February 2005)
  

  - HHS Task Force Press Release

  - HHS Task Force Recommendations

• TCCRI School Finance Task Force Report: Public School Finance and the Future of Public Education (April 2004)
• TCCRI State Finance Task Force Report: A Roadmap to Responsible Reform (January 2003)
• TCCRI LIFT Task Force on Health and Human Services: Searching for the Cure (February 2003)
• LIFT Task Force on Health and Human Services Report (February 2001)

Research by the TCC Research Institute on selected issues of public policy.

• Putting Taxpayers in Charge of Their Tax Bills: How Local Government Expenditure Limits Could Help Reduce Property Taxes - A TCCRI Sponsored Report - (July 25, 2007)
• Open markets will meet Texas' water needs - TCCRI Research Report - (March 6, 2007)
• Summary of Recommendations to the 80th Legislature - (January 2007)
• Market Health Care: Health Savings Accounts - A Research Report (November 2006)
• Taxation by Eminent Domain: The imperative to amend the Texas Constitution for the protection of homeowners and businesses by John Colyandro and Brent Connett (July 2005)
• Appraisal Caps' Impact on Government and the Economy
  A Research Report on Property Tax Relief (May 2005)
• Workers’ Compensation: Making It Work for Texans - A joint paper by Chris Patterson and John Colyandro (February 1, 2005)
• Medicaid - The Coming Crisis? Or, A Tool for Self Sufficiency? (November 2000)
• Executive Summary -- Economics 101: Why Pharmaceutical Price Controls Won’t Work (July 17, 2000).
• Economics 101: Why Pharmaceutical Price Controls Won’t Work (July 6, 2000).

Op-Eds - Opinion-Editorials on current issues by RI staff and supporters.

• Op-Ed: Give Austinites an Electricity Choice (January 19, 2012)
• TCCRI Praises Senate Sunset Advisory Commission Appointments (January 9, 2012)
• TCCRI Announces 2011-2012 Task Forces & Task Force Co-Chairmen (November 21, 2011)
  
  • 2011-2012 Task Force Co-Chairmen
• To mend America, the Constitution needs a Balanced Budget Amendment (August 19, 2011)
• Gov. Perry Signs Landmark "Loser Pays" Lawsuit Reform (July 27, 2011)
• Press Release: Balanced, no-new-taxes budget a major achievement (July 26, 2011)
• TCCRI Requests Investigation of Houston National Cemetery (July 18, 2011)
• Op-Ed by Rep. Hancock: Tough but Responsible on School Funding (June 29, 2011)
• 'Loser pays" next step for successful lawsuit reform in Texas (March 6, 2011)
• House Bill 6 Letter: Save the Economic Stabilization Fund (March 31, 2009)
• Bill Keffer: Our Resignation of Dependence (March 20, 2009)
• Commentary: A Civil Service Crisis in Texas - (March 16, 2009)
• Half-Truths and Journalistic Advocacy - (March 5, 2009)
• Choosing a New Path: Funding Public Schools and Eliminating Property Taxes - (November 9, 2008)
• Advocating a Free Market for Water - (July 6, 2008)
• Reaffirming Tuition Deregulation: Guest Column - (June 12, 2008)
  
• Taxing the American Dream: A LIFT Commentary on the Property Tax - (June 2, 2008)
• Private Sector Does it Better: Guest Column in the Waco Tribune-Herald - (May 26, 2008)
• Meeting Energy Needs: Innovation, not Opposition - (May 12, 2008)
• Voter ID: Supreme Court Gives State New Opportunity to Secure Elections - (May 7, 2008)
• No-match data program is aid, not apocalypse - (April 4, 2008)
• Speech to the Junior Statesman Foundation - (May 30, 2007)
• ID Rule will Bolster Integrity of Elections - TCCRI Opinion-Editorial in
  the Austin American-Statesman - (May 1, 2007)
• Nothing so onerous about proving CHIP eligibility - TCCRI Opinion-Editorial in the Houston Chronicle - (March 7, 2007)
• Amarillo Globe-News Column: Texas supremes jeopardize our right to own property - (February 7, 2007)
• Comment: Lax system allows noncitizens to vote - San Antonio Express-News Opinion-Editorial - (December 17, 2006)
• Op-Ed: Risk Pool a blueprint for state health plans - (December 11, 2006)
• The Judiciary: Electing Judges Brings Politics into the Sunlight - Amarillo Globe News (October 17, 2006)
• Minimum Wage: So if this is really the minimum necessary… - Fort Worth Star-Telegram, (September 27, 2006)
• Electric Generation Facilities: Keeping the Power Flowing - Dallas Morning News (September 5, 2006)
• Citizenship Verification and Medicaid: Loophole allows illegal access to Medicaid Benefits - San Antonio Express News (August 16, 2006)
• State Parks: A Matter of Money - Fort Worth Star Telegram (August 7, 2006)
• The "DIRECT" Way to School Finance Reform by the TCCRI School Finance Task Force Co-Chairmen
• Lets Keep This Private -- Just Between You and the Government by Kathi Seay
• Medicaid by Representative Wohlgemuth
• Government-Run Health Care for the Dead by Kerri Houston
• When Patients Become Victims: The Crime of Government-Run Health Care by Merrill Matthews Jr., Ph.D. and Kerri Houston

Periodic news on the activities of the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute and its participants.

• Conservative Watch - August 2005
• August 2005
• December 2004
• July 2004
• May 2004
• January 2004
• February 2003
• September 2000
• August 2000
• May 2000