We have received calls asking if we should make calls to Senator Zaffirini and/or State Rep Richard Raymond asking them not to bring up for a vote the bills (SB52/HB169), which would lower the compulsory attendance law. We have opposed such legislation in the past; we are still opposed to this bill and believe that parents should be free to make the decision of whether or not to begin their child’s formal education at age five or wait until age six. Having said that, it is our experience that these legislators strongly believe it would be best for most children to make kindergarten mandatory, and we do not believe that calls will change that.

State Representative Carl Isett (R-Lubbock) will file his Taxpayer Protection Act for the fourth session in a row. The Taxpayer Protection Act is the basis for one of the recommendations in the report by the Governor’s Task Force on Appraisal Reform.

More than 300 educators, including 12 from El Paso area schools, converged on the Capitol on Monday to let lawmakers know there is still much work to do to improve Texas public schools.

Opponents of school choice fight parent choice and competition among schools by arguing that school choice takes money from schools. Unfortunately, they turn a blind eye to what is both a serious problem in education and the largest drain on school funding: dropouts.

Local bureaucrats and their Austin apologists have found the ‘local control’ religion, but only as a convenient foil against taxpayer protection. Fearful that their days of unrestricted access to taxpayers’ wallets might soon draw to an end, we suddenly find them flaunting a position of questionable ideological weight.

It will be an uphill fight, but Houston Sen. Dan Patrick on Monday filed one of his longtime priorities, a constitutional amendment lowering the annual cap on homestead reappraisals from 10 percent to 3 percent.

[Last] week opened with the release of recommendations from the Governor’s Task Force on Appraisal Reform. The recs boil down to giving taxpayers a stronger voice in the decisions affecting their families and their livelihood, and in turn drive a stronger and healthier economy.

Lobbyists who seek to influence state lawmakers on behalf of Texas cities, counties and other government entities would have to disclose details of their compensation packages and expenses under a measure being developed for consideration this legislative session.

About a dozen Democratic House leaders who defected from their party during a divisive and intense race for speaker called for unity Monday, saying they would use their power to pass legislation "all Democrats can support."

A turf battle threatens to blow up a group pushing to bring casino-style gambling to Texas. Texans for Economic Development, a coalition pushing for a constitutional amendment allowing video lottery terminals — also known as electronic slot machines — at horse and dog tracks, is considering dissolving. Members of the group can't reach an agreement on where to locate the tracks.

As many as four big states — California, Florida, Illinois and New Jersey — are likely to move up their 2008 presidential primaries to early next February, further upending an already unsettled nominating process and forcing candidates of both parties to rethink their campaign strategies, party officials said Wednesday.

American civilization eventually will collapse if government doesn't do a better job assimilating immigrants into society, possible GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said Wednesday as he urged Congress to enshrine English as the nation's official language.

During an impassioned floor speech last week, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy lashed out at Republicans for insisting on tax cuts targeted for small businesses to offset the cost of raising the minimum wage.

Iraqi soldiers, backed by U.S. troops and air power, launched a major raid against a radical Shiite cult, known as "Soldiers of Heaven," in Najaf over the weekend that resulted in a 24-hour gun battle. When the fighting stopped, more than 100 terrorists had been captured, and, according to Iraqi officials, twice that number had been killed. Among the dead were Afghans and Saudis. Iraqi officials also said that Sunnis loyal to Saddam Hussein were involved in the plot.