en-us A weekly audio magazine exploring the issues facing the Lone Star State. Texas Public Policy Foundation A weekly audio magazine exploring the issues facing the Lone Star State. Texas PolicyCast is presented by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. A weekly audio magazine exploring the issues facing the Lone Star State. Texas PolicyCast is presented by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. http://www.texaspolicy.com/policycast.php policycast@texaspolicy.com (Texas Public Policy Foundation) 2010 policycast@texaspolicy.com (Texas PolicyCast) clean Texas Public Policy Foundation dguenthner@texaspolicy.com Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:30:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/images/txpolicycast-itunes.jpg http://www.texaspolicy.com/policycast.php 70 70 Last week, Mario Loyola, policy analyst for the Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, shared his observations and analysis on the emergency response to the BP oil spill. In the second part of a two-part interview, Mario discusses the Obama Administration's policy response and the long-term prospects for the Gulf region. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:30:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-530-loyola.mp3 9:40 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Mario Loyola, BP, oil spill, Obama Mario Loyola, policy analyst for the Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, recently toured the Gulf Coast to get a first hand view of the situation surrounding the BP oil spill. His observations and analysis are published as the cover story of the August 2nd edition of National Review magazine. In the first part of a two-part interview, Mario shares his perspective on the Obama Administration's emergency response to the spill. Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:30:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-529-loyola.mp3 8:49 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Mario Loyola, BP, oil spill, Obama In May, the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin released a report entitled, "Texas Financial Transparency: Open and Online," which recommends several steps state and local governments should take to make their finances more accessible to the general public. This week, we discuss the report's findings with one of the project's directors, The Honorable Sherri Greenberg, former Texas state representative and currently a lecturer and fellow in the Center for Politics and Governance at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Thu, 15 Jul 2010 09:30:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-528-greenberg.mp3 8:52 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Sherri Greenberg, financial transparency, spending, budgets, University of Texas, LBJ School State governments will face many new challenges and responsibilities under the recently passed federal health care legislation - one of the first being the creation of a state health insurance exchange. Massachusetts' state-subsidized exchange was the model for President Obama's plan, and the Bay State is now grappling with surging premiums and shrinking access to medical care. Utah took a fundamentally different approach and is seeing better results so far. On this week's episode, we bring you a conversation with Utah House Speaker David Clark, who shared Utah's model at the Foundation's May 20 Policy Primer, "State Options for Federal Health Care Reform." Thu, 8 Jul 2010 09:30:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-527-clark.mp3 9:33 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, David Clark, ObamaCare, health insurance, health care Every Texas state agency is required to go through a comprehensive review at least once every 12 years by the Sunset Advisory Commission. These reviews are to determine whether the agencies are still needed - and if so, to identify and eliminate waste, duplication, and inefficiencies. The Texas Public Policy Foundation recently published reports on two of the agencies up for commission decisions at its July meeting. Last week, Bill Peacock, Director of the Foundation's Center for Economic Freedom, discussed the Texas Department of Insurance. In the spotlight this week: the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Thu, 1 Jul 2010 09:30:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-526-peacock.mp3 8:18 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Bill Peacock, electricity, telecommunications, Public Utility Commission Every Texas state agency is required to go through a comprehensive review at least once every 12 years by the Sunset Advisory Commission. These reviews are to determine whether the agencies are still needed - and if so, to identify and eliminate waste, duplication, and inefficiencies. The Texas Public Policy Foundation recently published reports on two of the agencies up for commission decisions at its July meeting. This week, we visit with Bill Peacock, Director of the Foundation's Center for Economic Freedom, about one of these agencies - the Texas Department of Insurance. Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:30:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-525-peacock.mp3 6:27 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Bill Peacock, insurance A balanced civil justice system allows parties who are legitimately injured by another's actions to be properly compensated while protecting individuals and businesses from fraudulent claims and wrongful judgments. In Texas, we have rectified many of the abuses that used to exist in our civil courts. On this week's episode, we discuss the example of silicosis lawsuits with The Honorable Joseph M. Nixon, Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and former chairman of the Texas House Civil Practices Committee. Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:30:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-524-nixon.mp3 10:28 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Joseph Nixon, tort reform, asbestos, silica, silicosis, trial lawyers, lawsuit abuse In recent weeks, the discussion regarding Texas' budget shortfall has taken a more negative turn, with gloomy projections about state revenue trends and spending demands. Is the situation as dire as it presently appears? Talmadge Heflin, Director of the Center for Fiscal Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, was chairman of the House Appropriations Committee in 2003 when the Texas Legislature confronted a $10 billion budget shortfall. He sat down with us this week to discuss the recent developments and compare the situation then to today. Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:30:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-523-heflin.mp3 8:26 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Talmadge Heflin, budget, spending The last week has seen an intensification of the dispute between the state of Texas and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over Texas' air quality. While Texas has made considerable progress in cleaning up the air in its metropolitan areas, the federal government says that is still not enough. A report released last month by the Texas Public Policy Foundation documents Texas' success in reducing ground-level ozone, and shows how proposed changes in the federal ozone standards would have widespread economic consequences across our state. This week, a conversation with its author, Kathleen Hartnett White, Distinguished Senior Fellow in Residence and Director of the Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment. Thu, 3 Jun 2010 10:30:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-522-white.mp3 6:55 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Kathleen Hartnett White, ozone, EPA, air quality Last December, the Heritage Foundation published a report looking at how the proposed federal health care legislation would affect the Medicaid program, and provide powerful incentives for some state governments to end their participation in Medicaid. One of the report's co-authors, Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow Edmund Haislmaier, was a panelist at TPPF's "State Options for Federal Health Care Reform" event last week, and he sat down with us to discuss the factors that Texas should consider as it evaluates the future of its Medicaid program. Thu, 27 May 2010 11:30:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-521-haislmaier.mp3 8:02 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Edmund Haislmaier, Heritage Foundation, health care, Medicaid, ObamaCare This week, the Texas Public Policy Foundation announced that Ted Cruz, a former solicitor general for the state of Texas who has presented eight oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, has joined the Foundation as a Senior Fellow to help guide the research and outreach activities of our newly created Center for Tenth Amendment Studies. In this conversation, Ted discusses why the Tenth Amendment matters and how to re-establish a proper balance between the powers of the federal government, the states, and the people. Thu, 20 May 2010 13:30:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-520-cruz.mp3 14:04 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Ted Cruz, U.S. Constitution, Tenth Amendment Although private property rights are guaranteed by both the U.S. and Texas constitutions, they have been systematically scaled back over time. Since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2005 Kelo decision, however, Texas has begun the march toward restoring those rights. This week, TPPF economic freedom policy analyst Ryan Brannan assesses how far Texas has come and what work remains to be done in order for Texans' property rights to be fully secure. Thu, 13 May 2010 09:30:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-519-brannan.mp3 7:59 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Ryan Brannan, property rights, eminent domain, Kelo, regulatory takings As the Texas Legislature considers how to address Texas' mobility challenges, the Texas Public Policy Foundation continues to keep its focus on how to improve efficiency, accountability, and transparency in our state's transportation agencies. This week, we bring you an update with Justin Keener, Vice President of Policy and Communications at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 6 May 2010 13:30:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-518-keener.mp3 7:21 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Justin Keener, transportation, transit, buses, trains, highways The cost to provide health coverage for state workers and retirees continues to increase well above the rate of inflation. While this has long been a problem, the challenge is compounded by the state's multi-billion dollar budget shortfall. How does Texas continue to provide quality health care to its employees and retirees when the state budget is this tight? One idea is spelled out in a new report by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, "Health Savings Accounts for State Employees and Retirees: Same Quality of Care, Lower Cost to Taxpayers." We discuss the report with one of its authors, TPPF health care policy analyst Elizabeth Young. Thu, 29 Apr 2010 10:30:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-517-young.mp3 6:46 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Elizabeth Young, health care, state employees, health savings accounts, HSA As Texas state government prepares to deal with a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall next year, legislators and policymakers are already studying how to balance the budget while continuing to meet the state's core responsibilities. Some of the most important decisions will be in criminal justice. This week, we look at how to save money and craft an effective budget in criminal justice with Marc Levin, Director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:30:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-516-levin.mp3 11:58 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Marc Levin, criminal justice, prisons, probation, drug courts, juvenile justice On Wednesday, April 14, the Texas Public Policy Foundation hosted a special policy event, "Net Neutrality: What's Next?" that considered the future of Internet regulation. On this episode, we bring you a conversation with one of the panelists, Dr. George S. Ford, chief economist at the Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal & Economic Public Policy Studies. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-515-ford.mp3 13:25 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, George Ford, Internet, FCC, net neutrality A persistent challenge for education reformers has been how to promote greater competition in K-12 education. One idea that has gotten traction across the country has been the use of education tax credits and deductions to encourage contributions to non-profit organizations that grant scholarships for children to attend the school of their choice. The Texas Public Policy Foundation will release a report later this week on education tax credits, and TPPF Senior Education Policy Analyst Brooke Terry previews her findings in this interview. Thu, 8 Apr 2010 13:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-514-terry.mp3 6:10 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Brooke Terry, education tax credits, school choice, education The turf war between the federal government and the states has escalated on a number of fronts during the last couple of years, one of them being education. In January, Texas Governor Rick Perry announced that Texas would withdraw from the competition for federal "Race to the Top" funds out of concern that accepting those funds would force the state to conform to a new national education curriculum. This week, we take a closer look at national and state education standards with Brooke Terry, senior education policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 1 Apr 2010 16:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-513-terry.mp3 6:01 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Brooke Terry, education, curriculum, national standards With President Obama signing health care reform legislation on Tuesday, the battle over the federal government takeover of health care shifts from Congress to the courthouse. Immediately after the signing ceremony, Texas was among 14 states filing suit in federal court asserting that the new law was unconstitutional. Dr. Ronald Trowbridge, a Visiting Research Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and former chief of staff to the late U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger, reviewed some of the key constitutional issues in a January 10th Houston Chronicle op-ed. He shares his thoughts with us in this conversation. Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-512-trowbridge.mp3 8:46 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Ronald Trowbridge, U.S. Supreme Court, health care, ObamaCare, individual mandate While juvenile crime remains a serious problem, a new report released this week by the Texas Public Policy Foundation highlights many proven community-based approaches that have demonstrated success both in Texas and nationally in holding youth offenders accountable and putting them on a law-abiding productive path. We discuss the report's findings with its author, Marc Levin, Director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-511-levin.mp3 12:06 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Marc Levin, juvenile justice A new report released this week by the Texas Public Policy Foundation looks at trends in tuition rates, state support for higher education, and university spending since the Texas Legislature deregulated university tuition in 2003. We discuss the findings with Elizabeth Young, higher education policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-510-young.mp3 8:21 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Elizabeth Young, higher education, tuition, public university, college There is little dispute that Texas faces considerable mobility challenges in its urban areas. But when it comes down to how to address those challenges, the consensus disappears. Some elected officials - particularly in North Texas - continue to push for new taxes that could cost Texas drivers more than $20 billion over the next decade. But as the Texas Public Policy Foundation's vice president of policy and communications Justin Keener wrote in the Dallas Morning News last week, there is a fiscally responsible alternative to fix our transportation system. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 10:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-509-keener.mp3 7:48 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Justin Keener, transportation, highways, gas tax This week, President Barack Obama renewed his push for a federal government takeover of Americans' health care. On Monday, he issued his latest health care proposal, while he hosted congressmen from both parties at a bipartisan health care summit on Thursday. Providing her take on these new developments is The Honorable Arlene Wohlgemuth, executive director and director of the Center for Health Care Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-508-wohlgemuth.mp3 8:08 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Arlene Wohlgemuth, health care, Obama, health insurance Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation released a new report entitled, "The Texas Economy: How Would Climate Change Legislation Impact Economic Growth and Jobs?" The research concluded that current federal climate change proposals, if enacted, could cost Texas as many as 200,000 jobs, $41 billion in economic activity, and almost $3 billion in state tax revenue in the year 2030. We go deeper into the findings with Kathleen Hartnett White, Director of the Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-507-white.mp3 9:26 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Kathleen Hartnett White, climate change, Waxman, Markey, carbon, cap and trade Of the state of Texas' major revenue sources, state taxes contribute the most of the state coffers. But another source is beginning to challenge for the top spot: the federal government. Have federal funds always played such a prominent role in the state's budget? Where are these funds being spent? And what are the consequences, if any, of relying so heavily on federal aid? The Texas Public Policy Foundation issued a new paper this week that addresses these questions, and we discuss its findings with The Honorable Talmadge Heflin, Director of the Center for Fiscal Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and former chairman of the Texas House Appropriations Committee. Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-506-heflin.mp3 5:34 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Talmadge Heflin, budget, stimulus Property taxes are in the news this week - partly because Monday was the deadline for Texans to pay their 2009 property tax bills, and partly because eliminating the property tax has become an issue in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Research that the Texas Public Policy Foundation commissioned last spring on eliminating the property tax has been cited in both televised debates and several news stories. On this week's Texas PolicyCast, The Honorable Talmadge Heflin, director of TPPF's Center for Fiscal Policy and former chairman of the Texas House Appropriations Committee, summarizes the research and argues that replacing the property tax with an expanded sales tax is not only feasible but would be beneficial to the Texas economy. Thu, 4 Feb 2010 12:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-505-heflin.mp3 6:56 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Talmadge Heflin, property tax, sales tax, Arthur Laffer While Texas' efforts to reduce the ozone levels in the air of our major metropolitan areas have produced significant improvements, those aren't enough to satisfy the federal government. New EPA rules tighten the legal limits even further, with far reaching consequences on a large swath of our state. We discuss the ozone issue this week with Kathleen Hartnett White, former chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and currently the director of the Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-504-white.mp3 9:37 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Kathleen Hartnett White, ozone, air quality, EPA In the decade since Texas transitioned to a competitive retail electricity market, critics have repeatedly claimed that Texans now pay some of the highest electric rates in the country. But a new report released this week by the Texas Public Policy Foundation showed that Texas consumers in regions open to electric competition pay considerably lower prices than is routinely reported. We look at prices and other electricity issues with Bill Peacock, Director of the Center for Economic Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-503-peacock.mp3 8:26 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Bill Peacock, electricity, deregulation, competition January 14th marks the close of the public comment period on the Federal Communications Commission's proposed rules for Internet regulation - or net neutrality. But would these rules create a level playing field for content providers, or hinder competition and possibly even chill freedom of speech? We consider the issue with Ryan Brannan, economic freedom policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:05:00 -0800 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-502-brannan.mp3 7:00 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Ryan Brannan, net neutrality, FCC, Internet The U.S. Senate capped off 2009 by passing its version of health care reform early on Christmas Eve. So where do things go from here? Is it smooth sailing for the proponents of a government takeover of your health care, or could the push still wind up being torpedoed? We look at the federal health care debate this week with Elizabeth Young, health care policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 7 Jan 2010 13:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-501-young.mp3 11:02 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Elizabeth Young, health care, ObamaCare, health insurance, public option, Medicaid As we prepare to turn the page to 2010, this week we bring you our annual roundtable retrospective on the year that was. We revisit the major issues of 2009 with several of the Foundation's policy experts. Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-449-review.mp3 14:11 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Brooke Terry, Talmadge Heflin, Bill Peacock, Kathleen Hartnett White, Marc Levin, Arlene Wohlgemuth In August 2008, Texas Public Policy Foundation education policy analyst Brooke Terry tabulated and released the first ever statewide total of the number of Texas school children on waiting lists to get into a public charter school. Earlier this week, she updated her research and found that the statewide waiting list total had more than doubled from 17,000 to 41,000 students just in the last year. On this week's episode, we bring you a conversation with Brooke Terry in which she discusses her findings and what she thinks is behind the surge in unmet demand for Texas public charter schools. Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-448-terry.mp3 6:00 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Brooke Terry, charter schools, education, public schools Next week, a major international conference on climate change begins in Copenhagen, Denmark. But the buildup to the conference has been overshadowed by the release of thousands of illegally obtained e-mails that show many of the world's leading climate scientists behaving badly. This week, we get an update on the Climategate scandal from Kathleen Hartnett White, Distinguished Senior Fellow in Residence and Director of the Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 3 Dec 2009 10:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-447-white.mp3 8:16 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Kathleen Hartnett White, global warming, climate change, Climategate, IPCC Can better transparency improve the quality and lower the cost of higher education in Texas? That was the topic of the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Policy Primer luncheon earlier this week. Following the event, we sat down with Rick O'Donnell, President of the Acton Foundation for Educational Excellence and a Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, to get his thoughts on the topic. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-446-odonnell.mp3 7:14 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Rick O'Donnell, higher education, colleges, universities, transparency, tuition The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers, yet many education policies deter bright individuals from pursuing teaching and encourage the best teachers to leave the classroom. On this week's episode, we talk with Texas Public Policy Foundation education policy analyst Brooke Terry about her latest report, "Shortchanging Our Students: How Poor Teacher Quality & Failed Government Policies Hurt Students." Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-445-terry.mp3 6:06 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Brooke Terry, education, teachers While Texas' unemployment rate has stayed well below the national average throughout the current recession, we have certainly not come through unscathed. One of the people most closely monitoring Texas' job climate is Tom Pauken, Chairman and Commissioner Representing Employers on the Texas Workforce Commission. Chairman Pauken spoke at the Texas Public Policy Foundation's October 29th Policy Primer, "The Texas Economic Model: Jobs, Jobs, Jobs" and he sat down with us following the event to give his assessment of Texas' current economic situation and the future prospects for Texas' job market. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-444-pauken.mp3 9:38 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Tom Pauken, Texas Workforce Commission, jobs, unemployment, economy Next Tuesday, Texas voters will cast their ballots on 11 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. The last of these, Proposition 11, deals with private property rights and the power of eminent domain. This week, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the amendment with Bill Peacock, Director of the Center for Economic Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-443-peacock.mp3 7:32 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Bill Peacock, property rights, eminent domain, Proposition 11, blight Now that all of the congressional committees have approved their versions of federal health care reform, what now? We look at that and other questions in the second part of our conversation with The Honorable Arlene Wohlgemuth, former Texas state representative and currently a Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-442-wohlgemuth.mp3 7:28 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Arlene Wohlgemuth, health care, John Cornyn, ObamaCare, health insurance, Arthur Laffer, Medicaid, public option Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee approved Chairman Max Baucus' draft of federal health care reform legislation. How does it compare to the versions approved by other congressional committees? We look at that in the first part of a two-part interview with The Honorable Arlene Wohlgemuth, former Texas state representative and currently a Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-441-wohlgemuth.mp3 8:45 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Arlene Wohlgemuth, health care, Max Baucus, ObamaCare, health insurance, Arthur Laffer, Medicaid, public option One of the Texas Public Policy Foundation's major areas of research activity during the past year has been the Texas insurance market. This week, we bring you a conversation with Bill Peacock, Director of the Foundation's Center for Economic Freedom, on recent developments with Texas homeowners and windstorm insurance. Thu, 8 Oct 2009 17:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-440-peacock.mp3 5:59 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Bill Peacock, Texas Department of Insurance, TDI, Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, TWIA, homeowners insurance, windstorm insurance One of the flashpoints in the current federal health care debate is the role of medical liability reform. Proposition 12, a constitutional amendment approved by Texas voters six years ago, has been a leading example of how balancing the civil justice process can increase quality and access to health care, but those reforms could be in jeopardy under several of the legislative proposals pending in Congress. This week, we take a closer look at the issue with the architect of Proposition 12, The Honorable Joe Nixon, former chairman of the Texas House Civil Practices Committee and a Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 1 Oct 2009 14:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-439-nixon.mp3 9:18 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Joe Nixon, tort reform, Proposition 12, medical malpractice, health care, medical liability On June 26th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the 1,480 page American Clean Energy and Security Act. As the nation's leading energy producer, Texas would be more severely impacted by this bill's aggressive carbon caps and new federal energy mandates than any other state. The Foundation's new report, "A Federal Leviathan: The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009," summarizes the key provisions of the bill. Discussing her research on this week's edition is Kathleen Hartnett White, Distinguished Senior Fellow in Residence and Director of the Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and former Chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-438-white.mp3 9:27 Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, Texas, Kathleen Hartnett White, climate change, cap and trade, Waxman, Markey, global warming, ACES, American Clean Energy and Security Act, carbon Businesses face many challenges in complying with federal, state, and local immigration laws. In some situations, business owners can be imprisoned for employing or providing transportation to illegal immigrants, even if they were not personally aware of their immigration status. In this week's episode, Marc Levin, Director of the Foundation's Center for Effective Justice and author of the new report, "The Burden of Immigration Laws on Business," looks at how to combat illegal immigration without imposing unrealistic demands and punishments on employers. Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-437-levin.mp3 10:30 Medicaid, the health care program for low-income individuals and families, is the second largest item in the Texas state budget. An upcoming report from the Texas Public Policy Foundation looks at the long-term trends in Medicaid spending and considers some of the consequences of pending federal proposals to expand the eligible population for Medicaid services. We preview the report this week with The Honorable Talmadge Heflin, Director of the Center for Fiscal Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and former Chairman of the Texas House Appropriations Committee. Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-436-heflin.mp3 5:51 Texas' bilingual education programs have produced poor results for both students and taxpayers, and should be replaced with an immersion-based approach to English-language instruction, according to new research released today by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. The report, entitled "Does Bilingual Education Work? The Case of Texas," analyzes the history and effectiveness of Texas' bilingual education programs, and makes policy recommendations on how Texas schools can best teach English to non-English speaking students. This week, we bring you a conversation with the report's author, Dr. Christine Rossell, a professor at Boston University who has researched bilingual education for the last three decades. Thu, 3 Sep 2009 11:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-435-rossell.mp3 14:38 The last two weeks, Texas PolicyCast has highlighted the Texas Public Policy Foundation's new report on health care, "The Prognosis for National Health Insurance," which documents the disastrous effects that pending federal health care proposals would have on Texas taxpayers and consumers, and recommends that the U.S. Congress instead pass a package of patient-driven health care reforms. But what does that entail? To learn more, we visited this week with The Honorable Arlene Wohlgemuth, a former Texas state representative and currently a Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-434-wohlgemuth.mp3 10:52 The debate so far over health care reform has focused on federal impacts. But how would the various states be affected? The Texas Public Policy Foundation's new report, "The Prognosis for National Health Insurance - A Texas Perspective," sheds light on how Texas would fare in a health care reform based on President Barack Obama's priorities. As TPPF Senior Fellow Donna Arduin explains in the second of her two-part interview, the results aren't pretty. Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-433-arduin.mp3 6:15 Last week, the Texas Public Policy Foundation released a report by internationally renowned economist Dr. Arthur Laffer, "The Prognosis for National Health Insurance." In applying an economic model to President Barack Obama's priorities for health care reform, the report concluded Obama's priorities would increase medical price inflation, slow economic growth, and still leave 30 million Americans uninsured. In the first of a two-part interview, one of the report's principal researchers, TPPF Senior Fellow Donna Arduin, explains the report's key concept - the health care wedge - and shows why the main proposals being debated in Washington, D.C. would actually make matters worse. Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-432-arduin.mp3 12:12 The last two weeks, Texas PolicyCast has examined the Waxman/Markey carbon legislation currently pending in the U.S. Congress - first looking at the effects on the Texas economy and job market with Comptroller Susan Combs, and then at the effects on Texans' electricity with Public Utility Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman. This week, we look at the current status of the legislation with Kathleen Hartnett White, Distinguished Senior Fellow-in-Residence and Director of the Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and former Chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Thu, 6 Aug 2009 10:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-431-white.mp3 8:48 Whether it's for manufacturing products for sale around the world, or for powering an air conditioner on a 100-degree summer afternoon, Texans' quality of life is tied directly to having abundant electricity. But is that power about to become much more expensive? A recent report released by the Public Utility Commission of Texas concludes that it will be if cap-and-trade legislation pending in the U.S. Congress were to become law. PUC Chairman Barry Smitherman explains on this week's Texas PolicyCast. Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:05:00 -0300 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-430-smitherman.mp3 8:25 Most of the research on federal cap-and-trade legislation has focused on overall effects on the national economy. But what would it mean for Texas? Comptroller of Public Accounts Susan Combs has created a section on her website, www.window.state.tx.us, called "Cap and Trade: Greenhouse Gas Regulations and the Impact on Texas." This week, we caught up with Comptroller Combs to find out what she discovered about the effects on Texas businesses and consumers. Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-429-combs.mp3 8:20 This week, the congressional leadership began to move its health care reform legislation through the committee process. On Wednesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee approved its bill on a party-line vote, while other congressional committees were expected to mark up their bills later in the week. What are the major components of these bills, and how would they alter your health care? For that, we visit this week with The Honorable Arlene Wohlgemuth, a former Texas state representative and renowned expert on health care policy, and a Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-428-wohlgemuth.mp3 8:05 With the regular session of the 81st Texas Legislature now concluded, it's time to look back at the session and assess what our legislators accomplished. This week, we look at tax and budget issues with The Honorable Talmadge Heflin, Director of the Center for Fiscal Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and former chairman of the Texas House Appropriations Committee. Thu, 9 Jul 2009 12:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-427-heflin.mp3 7:04 With the regular session of the 81st Texas Legislature now concluded, it's time to look back at the session and assess what our legislators accomplished. This week, we look at health care with The Honorable Arlene Wohlgemuth, former state representative and currently a Visiting Research Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 2 Jul 2009 11:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-426-wohlgemuth.mp3 6:21 With the regular session of the 81st Texas Legislature now concluded, it's time to look back at the session and assess what our legislators accomplished. This week, we look at education policy with TPPF education policy analyst Brooke Terry. Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-425-terry.mp3 6:18 The summer is getting hotter, and so is the congressional debate over regulating carbon emissions. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is determined to have a vote before the July 4th congressional recess on a proposal by Congressmen Henry Waxman and Edward Markey that would enact a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions. To learn more about this issue and how such a system would punish the Texas economy, we caught up this week with Kathleen Hartnett White, Distinguished Senior Fellow in Residence and Director of the Anne & Tobin Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and former chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-424-white.mp3 8:31 With the regular session of the 81st Texas Legislature now concluded, it's time to look back at the session and assess what our legislators accomplished. This week, we look at higher education with TPPF higher education policy analyst Elizabeth Young. Thu, 11 Jun 2009 03:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-423-young.mp3 6:53 On Monday, the 81st Texas Legislature adjourned its regular session. Over the next several weeks, we'll review the good, bad, and ugly of the session from the Foundation's point of view. This week, we get the perspective of Bill Peacock, Director of the Center for Economic Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 4 Jun 2009 11:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-422-peacock.mp3 7:23 Issues of taxes and spending are the most important issues dealt with when the Texas Legislature is in session -- not only because they're so important to people's lives, but because the state budget is the only piece of legislation the Legislature is required to pass during a regular session. As the 81st Texas Legislature moves toward its final weekend, we take stock of the 2010-11 state budget and other fiscal issues with The Honorable Talmadge Heflin, Director of the Center for Fiscal Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and former chairman of the Texas House Appropriations Committee. Thu, 28 May 2009 12:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-421-heflin.mp3 10:01 The cost of electricity is a big piece of both business and family budgets. Therefore, it's not too surprising that issues involving electricity see a lot of activity in the Texas Legislature. Two years ago, the debate was over ending Texas' successful transition to electric competition and re-regulating the market. But this year, the discussions have taken a different tack - and one that could prove very costly to Texas ratepayers. Bill Peacock, Director of the Center for Economic Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, gives us the lowdown. Thu, 21 May 2009 11:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-420-peacock.mp3 7:30 Mental illness poses a serious challenge for the criminal justice system. Texas in particular has a significant percentage of offenders with mental illness throughout its prison, probation, and parole systems. Fortunately, there are policies and practices that Texas can adopt which improve outcomes for mentally ill offenders, enhance public safety, and save taxpayers money. To learn more, we caught up this week with Marc Levin, Director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 14 May 2009 11:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-419-levin.mp3 4:54 Today, Texas has a severe shortage of quality teachers in several subject areas - including math, science, bilingual, and special education. So why does Texas continue to put regulatory hurdles in the way of certified teachers from other states who have moved here and want to teach here? Thankfully, two bills advancing through the Texas Legislature - House Bill 4152 and Senate Bill 2206 - would streamline the process for teachers certified in these subjects by another state to begin teaching our Texas student. Brooke Terry, TPPF education policy analyst, came up with this concept and explains why it is important on this week's episode. Thu, 7 May 2009 12:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-418-terry.mp3 7:13 Two weeks ago, Texas Public Policy Foundation higher education policy analyst Elizabeth Young shared her findings on the surge in operating costs at Texas public universities. But what can we do about them? In this week's episodes, she shares the Foundation's recommendations for higher education reforms that will improve both its cost and quality. Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-417-young.mp3 6:57 Two years ago, the scandal at the Texas Youth Commission pushed criminal justice issues into the legislative spotlight. While those issues are not as prominent this session, that doesn't mean there isn't any action there. The juvenile corrections system is under sunset review, and there are a number of proposals being considered that would promote alternatives to prison for low-level offenders. This week, we bring you a conversation with The Honorable Jim McReynolds of Lufkin, chairman of the House Corrections Committee, to get his perspective on these issues. Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-416-mcreynolds.mp3 7:42 With tuition at Texas public universities surging over the last several years, it's natural that the issue who attract considerable attention from parents, students, and legislators. But who is paying attention to the underlying problem of university operating costs? In this week's episode, Elizabeth Young, higher education policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, goes through some of the major cost drivers in Texas higher education and lists some of the free-market policy solutions that would bring these costs back in line. Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-415-young.mp3 8:49 The conventional wisdom out of Washington, D.C. is that the way to get our economy back in gear is to increase government spending. But a report released by the Texas Public Policy Foundation earlier this week estimates that the growth in government due to the recently passed federal stimulus package will wind up cutting Texas business output and costing our state between 130,000 and 170,000 additional jobs. TPPF Senior Fellow Donna Arduin - partner in Arduin Laffer and Moore Econometrics, which the Foundation commissioned to produce the report - walks us through the findings on this week's episode. Thu, 9 Apr 2009 13:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-414-arduin.mp3 7:46 Because of the substantial burden imposed by property taxes, the lack of a rational link between school property taxes and educational services, and the constitutional complexities surrounding the school property tax, many believe it is time to eliminate property taxes altogether. One of them is State Rep. Phil King of Weatherford, who has filed House Joint Resolution 97, which would abolish the maintenance and operations school property tax by 2014 and force the legislature to find a fairer method to pay for public schools. He discusses his proposal with us this week. Thu, 2 Apr 2009 03:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-413-king.mp3 7:27 This week marked the halfway point of the 81st Texas Legislature, and after a slow start, the pace of activity around the Capitol has noticeably quickened. On Wednesday, the House Committee on Land and Resource Management conducted a hearing on several bills related to eminent domain. On this episode, we get a report on the hearing and an update on the issue from Bill Peacock, Director of the Center for Economic Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 26 Mar 2009 03:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-412-peacock.mp3 6:49 The federal stimulus package signed into law last month has become the biggest issue facing the 81st Texas Legislature. In a relatively short period of time, legislators need to figure out what's exactly in the package for Texas, where the money is intended to go and for what purposes, whether accepting particular funds would require changes in Texas law, and if so, whether the costs and other consequences of those changes outweigh the benefit to the state of accepting those funds. The Texas House of Representatives' point person on the stimulus package is Rep. Myra Crownover of Lake Dallas, who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee on the federal stimulus. We caught up with her this week to get an update. Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-411-crownover.mp3 7:39 On Tuesday, President Barack Obama addressed the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. During his remarks, he embraced several key education reform initiatives, including teacher merit pay. "Too many supporters of my party have resisted the idea of rewarding excellence in teaching with extra pay, even though we know it can make a difference in the classroom," Obama said. This concept has long been a top priority on the Texas Public Policy Foundation's education agenda, and this week, we talk with TPPF education policy analyst Brooke Terry to get an update on the issue. Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-410-terry.mp3 6:21 Texans are beginning to feel the pain of the national recession and a cooling state economy. The Federal Reserve recently updated its forecast and said Texas could lose nearly 300,000 jobs this year, with an unemployment rate upwards of 8 percent. Perfect time for a massive tax increase? Sadly, several of our state legislators seem to think so. We look at the push for new regional transportation taxes with Justin Keener, vice president of policy and communications at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 5 Mar 2009 10:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-409-keener.mp3 8:41 Last week, Rep. Ken Paxton of McKinney and Sen. Dan Patrick of Houston held a press conference to announce the filing of House Bill 994 and Senate Bill 928, both of which seek to tighten the state's expenditure limit. We caught up with Rep. Paxton after the event to get his perspective on the legislation. Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-408-paxton.mp3 5:24 More than three years have passed since the U.S. Supreme Court handled down its infamous Kelo decision that eviscerated the public use clause of the 5th Amendment. Under Kelo, governments can now take private property for just about any reason they please, as long as they have a plan. On this week's episode, we talk with Bill Peacock, Director of the Foundation's Center for Economic Freedom, to learn what Texas needs to do to finally address the problems raised by the Kelo ruling and protect Texans' property rights. Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-407-peacock.mp3 7:51 On Wednesday, the Texas Public Policy Foundation joined with several other research, business and taxpayer organizations to issue "Blueprint for an Effective State Budget," a statement intended to guide legislators through the difficult budget decisions they will have to make during the next few months. This week, we discuss the blueprint with one of its primary architects, The Honorable Talmadge Heflin, Director of the Center for Fiscal Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and former Chairman of the Texas House Appropriations Committee. Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-406-heflin.mp3 9:40 Could California emissions standards be on their way to Texas? A recent decision by the Obama Administration could open the door to states being allowed to set their own vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards that are even more stringent than current federal law. What would this mean for Texas? We ask Kathleen Hartnett White, Director of the Center for Natural Resources at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and the former chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Thu, 5 Feb 2009 11:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-405-white.mp3 6:42 Last December, U.S. News and World Report released its 2009 ranking of America's best public high schools. Coming in at #19 was IDEA College Preparatory, a charter school in Donna, Texas. Established in 1998, the IDEA Public Schools now serve more than 4,000 students in 10 campuses across the Rio Grande Valley, with even more ambitious plans for the future. Tom Torkelson, the CEO and Founder of IDEA Public Schools, spoke at our 7th Annual Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature, and he shares his remarkable story on this week's Texas PolicyCast. Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-404-torkelson.mp3 7:43 This week, we bring you the conclusion of our two-part interview with Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst previewing the 81st Texas Legislature. In this episode, we turn our attention to education, electricity, and his priorities for the session. Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:05:00 -0700 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-403-dewhurst.mp3 8:46 The regular session of the 81st Texas Legislature is now underway in Austin. This week and next, we will bring you a two-part conversation with Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on the session's key issues. In this episode, we focus on the state's budget and finances. Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-402-dewhurst.mp3 8:32 This week, we are pleased to bring you a roundtable discussion featuring the policy team at the Texas Public Policy Foundation looking back at 2008 and previewing the 81st Texas Legislature. Thu, 8 Jan 2009 13:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-401-review.mp3 15:40 Texas has set the national standard for government financial transparency, thanks in large part to the leadership of the state's Comptroller of Public Accounts, Susan Combs. Her agency's "Where the Money Goes" website lets you see how state agencies are spending your money - right down to the pencil. And last week, Combs unveiled Open Book Texas, an initiative that will provide an even more comprehensive view of government spending, and she discusses it with us on this episode. Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-350-combs.mp3 8:25 Occupational licensing matters a lot to the vitality of a state's economy. While some licenses play a role to protect public health and safety, others serve only to expand government, limit market competition, and enrich those who happen to be on the right side of the regulations. Late last year, Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick assigned the House Government Reform Committee to review the state's occupational licensing and regulations with an eye toward streamlining unnecessary regulations and pruning unnecessary licenses. This week, we get a preview of the committee's interim report with its chairman, state Rep. Bill Callegari from Katy. Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-349-callegari.mp3 7:34 In August, the Texas Public Policy Foundation published a report that found that tens of thousands of school children were on waiting lists to attend Texas charter schools. Last month, the State Board of Education granted the final charters it is allowed under current law. What does the future hold for charter schools and these children? For that, we talk with Brooke Terry, education policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 4 Dec 2008 11:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-348-terry.mp3 6:11 On Monday, the Texas Public Policy Foundation hosted "Monopolies or Markets? How to Power Economic Growth," a Policy Primer on electric deregulation. During his keynote remarks, House Regulated Industries Committee Chairman Phil King discussed Texas' successful transition to a competitive electric market and what should be done to keep Texas on the path toward energy independence. We caught up with Chairman King following the event for this conversation on the Texas electric market. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-347-king.mp3 10:12 While the 81st Texas Legislature doesn't convene for another two months, the 2010-2011 Texas state budget process begins in earnest this week. Article VIII, Section 22 of the Texas Constitution limits the growth in state spending to the growth of the state's economy, and the Texas Legislative Budget Board will meet on Friday to hear five different estimates of Texas' future economic growth. We take a closer look at the state expenditure limit with James Quintero, Fiscal Policy Analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-346-quintero.mp3 5:57 With a new president taking office in January, could 2009 be the year that the environmental movement gets its climate change legislation? Kathleen Hartnett White, Director of the Foundation's Center for Natural Resources and former Chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, has written a new commentary in which she lists six reasons why that might not be the case. She goes through them with us on this week's PolicyCast. Thu, 6 Nov 2008 12:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-345-white.mp3 9:02 Texas' efforts to make it the nation's leading wind energy state have come at a cost - at least $60 billion between now and 2025 - that will be borne by consumers and taxpayers. This according to "Texas Wind Energy: Past, Present, and Future," a report released this week by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. This week, we bring you a conversation with the report's author, TPPF economic freedom and natural resources policy analyst Drew Thornley. Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-344-thornley.mp3 8:01 The Texas Youth Commission and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission are among the state agencies currently going through the Sunset Advisory Commission review process. This week, Marc Levin, Director of the Foundation's Center for Effective Justice, published a Policy Perspective that recommends that these agencies' performance measures be enhanced to focus more on results than volume. Marc discusses his report with us this week. Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-343-levin.mp3 9:15 Last spring, the state of Texas finally reached an agreement in principle to settle a 14-year-old class-action lawsuit, titled Frew v. Hawkins, over allegations that the state's Medicaid program had not done enough to provide preventive and specialty medical services to children. The agreement provided the Medicaid program with an additional $707 million during the current two-year budget. Most of that money went toward increasing provider reimbursement rates, but $150 million was set aside for "strategic medical and dental initiatives." Texas Health and Human Services Commissioner Albert Hawkins created an advisory committee to make recommendations regarding those funds, and TPPF health care policy analyst Kalese Hammonds is a member of that panel. This week, Kalese shares with us what that committee is considering and what effect the Frew settlement may have on future state budgets. Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-342-hammonds.mp3 5:57 The problems afflicting our public schools are well chronicled - dropout rates are staggering and much higher than officially reported, and of the students who do get their diplomas, a growing number of them require remedial education before they can start their college coursework. Unfortunately, there's another problem you can add to the list - financial mismanagement of taxpayer dollars. The latest and highest profile example is Dallas ISD, which is struggling to remedy a $64 million cost overrun from last year and an $84 million budget deficit this year - both of which were just discovered. To talk about the situation and what needs to be done to fix it and prevent it from happening in other districts, we have James Quintero and The Honorable Talmadge Heflin from the Center for Fiscal Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 9 Oct 2008 12:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-341-cef.mp3 7:28 This week, the Texas Public Policy Foundation published "Influential Issues," a series of five papers designed to address topics that are driving today's public debate on Texas policy concerns. One of the papers is on the Texas economy, and we discuss its findings this week with one of its co-authors, the Honorable Talmadge Heflin, Director of the Center for Fiscal Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and former Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Thu, 2 Oct 2008 14:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-340-heflin.mp3 7:06 This week, Congress is considering a financial system bailout that would give the U.S. Treasury Secretary the authority to buy up to $700 billion of bad debt off of Wall Street balance sheets. But will this plan shore up our wobbly economy and calm our turbulent credit markets, or will it kill the value of the dollar and set off a vicious inflation spiral? And even more importantly, what effect will this plan have on our freedom? To probe these questions, we bring you a conversation with Jeff Sandefer, president of Sandefer Capital Partners, teacher at the Acton School Business, and a member of the Texas Public Policy Foundation board of directors. Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-339-sandefer.mp3 5:59 Teacher incentive pay programs in Texas school districts have produced higher test scores, higher state accountability rankings, improved teacher morale, and less teacher turnover. This according to a new report released this week by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, with generous support from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. On this week's Texas PolicyCast, we talk with the report's author, Texas Public Policy Foundation education policy analyst Brooke Terry, about the history and role of incentive pay in Texas public schools. Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-338-terry.mp3 8:24 Energy independence is one of the top issues in this year's presidential campaign. But while the conventional wisdom is that it is a distant goal, could the solution already be literally under our feet? A new report from the Texas Public Policy Foundation concludes that it is, but the environmental movement is preventing us from getting at it. This week, we talk about that report, "Environmental Constraints on U.S. Oil Supply," with its author, Kathleen Hartnett White, Director of the Center for Natural Resources at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and former Chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-337-white.mp3 7:15 One of the major issues in this year's presidential campaign is energy independence, with both major party candidates looking for wind to play a greater role in meeting America's electricity needs. Texas is and will continue to be the national leader in wind energy, but what have we learned so far? Later this month, the Foundation will release a report, "Texas Wind Energy: Past, Present, and Future," that provides a comprehensive look at the Texas experience with wind energy. Discussing his research with us this week is the paper's author, Drew Thornley, natural resources policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 4 Sep 2008 11:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-336-thornley.mp3 6:37 Last year, charter schools provided an alternate educational setting for more than 110,000 Texas school students. Unfortunately, at least 16,810 more were on a waiting list to attend a Texas charter school, according to a new report released last week by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. On this episode, we discuss the findings with the report's author, Foundation education policy analyst Brooke Terry. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-335-terry.mp3 7:11 Rising food and energy costs are hitting everyone hard right now. But while consumers and businesses are tightening their belts, government agencies are preparing to ease their pain by digging even deeper into your wallets. A harbinger of the battles to come is the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which intends to ask the Legislature for a 19% budget increase for the next two years. This week, we go inside the TDCJ budget request with Marc Levin, Director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-334-levin.mp3 9:51 Every 12 years, Texas state agencies go through a sunset review process to determine whether those agencies are still needed, and if so, whether their functions and structures should change. One of the agencies currently up for review is the Texas Department of Insurance. Next month, the Sunset Advisory Commission will vote on its recommended changes to TDI. Next Monday, the Texas Public Policy Foundation will issue a report with its recommended changes to TDI. Joining us to preview the report are its authors, Bill Peacock, Director of the Foundation's Center for Economic Freedom, and Drew Thornley, Economic Freedom Policy Analyst. Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-333-cef.mp3 8:19 This month marks the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating natural disasters in American history. In the aftermath of the storm, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University launched a five-year project to follow the long-term redevelopment of the Gulf Coast after Katrina. Last week, Mercatus published a compilation of its research to date, entitled "Is the Gulf Coast Open for Business?" Joining us this week to discuss the findings is Daniel Rothschild, Associate Director of Mercatus' Global Prosperity Initiative. Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-332-rothschild.mp3 8:06 The late Senator Barry Goldwater is one of the iconic figures in the conservative movement. A new book, Pure Goldwater, looks at the senator's life, career, and beliefs through a new prism - that of his own writings. Barry Goldwater, Jr., the senator's son and himself a former seven-term congressman from California, worked with John Dean to organize the senator's journals and letters into a compelling personal portrait. This week, we present a conversation with Barry Goldwater, Jr., recorded shortly before his keynote remarks at the Americans for Prosperity/Right Online "Defending the American Dream Summit" in Austin. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-331-goldwater.mp3 8:43 Nationally syndicated columnist Robert Novak is widely regarded as the dean of conservative journalists, having covered and commented on national politics for more than half a century. He was in Austin last weekend for the Americans for Prosperity/Right Online "Defending the American Dream Summit," and we caught up with him to get his thoughts on the state of the conservative movement and the current presidential campaign. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-330-novak.mp3 7:00 Last week, the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Mercatus Center at George Mason University co-hosted Capital Campus Texas, a two-day economics education program for legislative and executive branch staff. This week, we bring you a conversation with the event's keynote speaker, Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow in Economic History at the Council on Foreign Relations, columnist for Bloomberg News, and author of The Forgotten Man, the recent best-selling book on the policies and economics of the Great Depression and the New Deal. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-329-shlaes.mp3 9:08 One of the Texas Public Policy Foundation's major issues in recent years has been increasing the public's access to information on state and local government spending. To that end, the Foundation has launched TexasBudgetSource.com, a new website that will provide a one-stop resource for information on state and local government budgets and spending. This week, we talk with The Honorable Talmadge Heflin, Director of the Foundation's Center for Fiscal Policy and a former chairman of the Texas House Appropriations Committee, about the importance of spending transparency and about what people can find at www.TexasBudgetSource.com. Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:05:00 -0300 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-328-heflin.mp3 7:10 In May, the Texas Public Policy Foundation released the report, "A History of Lawsuit Reform in Texas," authored by TPPF Senior Fellow, The Honorable Joe Nixon. Besides being an accomplished litigator, Nixon served six terms in the Texas House of Representatives, the last two as Chairman of its Civil Practices Committee. In the second part of our interview, we talk about the lawsuit reforms passed during the 2003 legislative session and what those have meant to Texas in the years since. Thu, 3 Jul 2008 12:05:00 -0300 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-327-nixon.mp3 12:40 Last month, the Texas Public Policy Foundation released the report, "A History of Lawsuit Reform in Texas," authored by TPPF Senior Fellow, The Honorable Joe Nixon. Besides being an accomplished litigator, Nixon served six terms in the Texas House of Representatives, the last two as Chairman of its Civil Practices Committee. In this two-part interview, we look at the evolution of Texas' civil justice system and the actions taken in recent years to strike a fairer balance between plaintiffs and defendants. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-326-nixon.mp3 6:32 The recent surge in energy and food prices has put a strain on government budgets. With preparations underway for the 2010-11 state budget, the challenge is going to be how to address those higher operating costs without putting an even greater burden on taxpayers who are already struggling to keep gas in their vehicles and food on their plates. This week, we take a look at one area, the prison system, and ask Marc Levin, Director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, how we can keep the public safe while holding the line on state spending. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:05:00 -0300 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-325-levin.mp3 8:07 Summer is here, and the temperature isn't the only thing that has many Texans hot under the collar. Electric prices have risen sharply in recent months, and four of the state's electric retailers have gone belly-up - unable to live up to the terms of their service contracts and forcing the Public Utility Commission to shift their customers to the "provider of last resort"...at much higher rates. To find out what's going on and what can be done, we visit this week with Bill Peacock, Director of the Center for Economic Freedom and the author of the Foundation's recent report, "The Texas Electric Meter: Measuring the Effects of Electric Deregulation." Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:05:00 -0300 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-324-peacock.mp3 6:45 The Tax Foundation is a non-partisan tax research group in Washington, DC. It produces a substantial amount of research on federal and state taxes, including an annual State Business Tax Climate Index. Its president, Scott Hodge, was one of the panelists at our May 29th Policy Primer, Keys to State Competitiveness, the audio of which is available in the multimedia section of our website, www.TexasPolicy.com. In this week's Texas PolicyCast, we get Hodge's thoughts on that topic, as well as the Texas business tax climate in general. Thu, 5 Jun 2008 12:05:00 -0400 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-323-hodge.mp3 7:12 With food prices skyrocketing in recent months, Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison have proposed separate measures that would roll back America's ill-advised ethanol policies. On this week's Texas PolicyCast, Kathleen Hartnett White, former Chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Director of the Foundation's Center for Natural Resources, details the folly of attempting to turn food into fuel. Thu, 29 May 2008 12:05:00 -0400 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-322-white.mp3 10:16 Texas consumers will soon see two modest reductions in their telecommunications bills. The Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund tax will be abolished later this year, while the Public Utility Commission recently approved a $144 million per year reduction in Universal Service Fund fees. But even with these positive steps, Texas consumers will still pay some of the highest telecom taxes in the country. This week, Bill Peacock, Director of the Foundation's Center for Economic Freedom, identifies the next exorbitant telecom tax that needs to be addressed -- the municipal franchise fee. Thu, 22 May 2008 12:05:00 -0400 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-321-peacock.mp3 5:30 You've heard the statistic that Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured residents in the country. A lot of that is because Texas requires that a large number of expensive benefits be included in health insurance policies sold here. In this week's Texas PolicyCast, health care policy analyst Kalese Hammonds spells out how much those mandates are driving the cost of your health insurance, and one idea for how to give consumers more choices and cheaper health insurance. Thu, 15 May 2008 10:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-320-hammonds.mp3 7:44 I'm sure you've had the thought. "The wind blows a lot around here. We don't have to pay anything for it, as opposed to coal or natural gas. What if we were able to a big chunk of our energy from wind turbines instead of fossil fuels?" Is that feasible? Is it even possible? We explore such questions this week with Drew Thornley, natural resources policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and author of a soon-to-be-released paper on wind energy in Texas. Thu, 8 May 2008 05:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-319-thornley.mp3 6:52 The more things change, the more things stay the same - especially when it comes to public education. Even though the expectations for today's students are rapidly changing, public schools use a 1920s-era model for paying teachers. In this week's episode, we talk to Foundation education policy analyst Brooke Terry about her new paper, "Bringing Teacher Compensation into the 21st Century," which makes the case for tying teacher pay to teacher quality. Thu, 1 May 2008 10:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-318-terry.mp3 7:51 Is it time to do away with the Texas Youth Commission? Senate Criminal Justice Chairman John Whitmire believes so. Almost a year into the restructuring effort at TYC, Whitmire now thinks it makes more sense to do away with that entity and create a new model for juvenile justice in Texas. Marc Levin, Director of the Foundation's Center for Effective Justice, has been a leader in Texas' juvenile justice reforms, and this week, he brings us up to speed on the current discussions. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:05:00 -0900 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-317-levin.mp3 8:18 Proponents of a complete government takeover of health care have been hostile to the notion of consumer-driven health care and the emergence of Health Savings Accounts. Now it seems that they are not content to merely argue their case against market-based reforms and individual ownership and control of health insurance and health care, but they also intend to erect barriers that would introduce unnecessary red tape and regulation to tamp out any enthusiasm for HSAs and health care flexibility. To talk about this new attack against HSAs, we have Mary Katherine Stout, Vice President of Policy and Director of the Center for Health Care Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-316-stout.mp3 7:26 A coastal state at even greater risk for hurricanes than Texas is Florida. During 2005, when Hurricane Rita ripped apart the Texas Golden Triangle, almost every part of Florida was affected by one of four hurricanes. As the former chairman of the Florida House Insurance Committee, State Rep. Dennis Ross has been a staunch advocate of free-market solutions to his state's windstorm crisis. He sat down for this interview following his presentation at the Foundation's 6th Annual Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:05:00 -0100 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-315-ross.mp3 7:11 From mandates on health insurance coverage to rate bands that govern the price of insurance, state legislatures and state insurance regulators wield considerable power in the marketplace. What is the impact of government regulation on health insurance and what does it mean for affordability and accessibility of coverage? We explore these questions with J.P. Wieske, director of state affairs for the Council for Affordable Health Insurance and chair of the Health Reform Working Group of the American Legislative Exchange Council. Thu, 3 Apr 2008 03:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-314-wieske.mp3 7:54 On January 1, 2007, Texas completed its transition to retail electric competition. Critics of deregulation were vocal during the last legislative session, declaring it to be a failure and barely falling short in their efforts to re-regulate the Texas electric market. But with a full year of competition under our belt, how is competition working out? This week, the Foundation debuted its new project, the Texas Electric Meter, a statistical report that will monitor the health and vitality of the Texas competitive electric market. Bill Peacock, Director of the Foundation's Center for Economic Freedom, compiled the report, and he shares his findings with us this week. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 03:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-313-peacock.mp3 7:35 Texas is in an enviable position in that we have more than enough mineral resources to meet our energy needs. But environmental activists are tightening the screws on Texas to keep those resources in the ground and out of our power lines. How should Texas balance our growing energy needs with environmental concerns? Dr. Sterling Burnett, a Senior Fellow for the National Center for Policy Analysis and for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, recently wrote a paper entitled, "Power for the Future: The Debate Over New Coal-Fired Power Plants in Texas," and he is our guest on this week's Texas PolicyCast. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-312-burnett.mp3 7:51 Last week, Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst shared his thoughts on the fiscal issues that the Senate will be studying this year. In the second part of our conversation, he lays out some of his other priorities for this legislative interim. Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-311-dewhurst.mp3 8:38 Last December, Speaker Tom Craddick issued his interim study assignments for committees in the Texas House. In January, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst did likewise for the Texas Senate. This week, we share the first part of our interview with Gov. Dewhurst on the Senate's agenda for this year. Thu, 6 Mar 2008 04:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-310-dewhurst.mp3 9:20 Whether measured by the rising cost of tuition or the state's appropriation for higher education, it seems that Texas colleges and universities require increasingly more money. What is behind these skyrocketing costs and are we getting what we're paying for? We consider these questions with Dr. Richard Vedder, Distinguished Professor of Economics at Ohio University, Director of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, and a Senior Research Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Dr. Vedder's paper, "Cutting the Cost of College," was released by the Foundation last June and is available in the Publications section of the Foundation's website, www.TexasPolicy.com. Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-309-vedder.mp3 6:58 While Texas was one of the first states to respond to the U.S. Supreme Court's Kelo decision, allowing governments to condemn property for economic development purposes, it has yet to finish the job of protecting property owners. Attempts to protect Texans' property rights last year fell short because of disagreements over blight designations and compensation issues. Discussing those issues with us on this week's edition is Glenn Sodd, a Corsicana attorney whose primary practice is eminent domain litigation throughout the state of Texas. Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-308-sodd.mp3 9:21 The conventional wisdom has been that affluent neighborhoods with well-educated parents also have outstanding public schools. But a new book casts substantial doubt on that proposition. The book, "Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice," was produced by the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy and can be downloaded from its website, www.PacificResearch.org. Here to talk about it is one of its authors, Dr. Vicki Murray, a Senior Policy Fellow for Education Studies at the Pacific Research Institute. Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-307-murray.mp3 8:12 While the American health care system is not a single-payer system as in Canada or the United Kingdom, government regulation in the health care industry is substantial. But do these federal and state regulations on the practice of medicine and the business of health care protect patients and consumers, or hurt innovation and competition in the marketplace? We pose these questions to David Hyman, professor of law and medicine at the University of Illinois and adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute. Thu, 7 Feb 2008 11:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-306-hyman.mp3 8:26 Texas is one of many states locked in fierce debates over how to meet its future energy needs. In the last decade, Texas has shifted more towards natural gas as a fuel source for electric generation, but as natural gas prices have soared, so have electricity prices. Recent proposals to diversify our fuel sources by building new coal-fired power plants have met with spirited opposition over air quality and public health concerns. This week, we discuss the present and future of Texas air quality with Joel Schwartz, environmental consultant and a Visiting Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Thu, 31 Jan 2008 01:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-305-schwartz.mp3 4:53 The Texas Public Policy Foundation has been a consistent and strong advocate for government transparency, especially when it comes to our tax dollars. The Foundation played an important role in the development of several spending transparency proposals during the 80th Texas Legislature. On the national level, one of the leading champions for fiscal transparency has been Americans for Tax Reform. ATR president Grover Norquist spoke at the 6th Annual Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature, and we caught up with him for an update on the progress around the country. Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:05:00 -0300 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-304-norquist.mp3 8:50 One of the biggest political stories of 2006 was the election of an African-American Democrat as District Attorney in Dallas County, which had traditionally been a Republican stronghold. Since his election, Craig Watkins has received national acclaim for identifying wrongly convicted inmates and increasing the involvement of crime victims and neighborhoods in preventing and responding to crime. Mr. Watkins was a panelist at our 6th Annual Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature, and he sat down for this conversation on the criminal justice process and the initiatives that he is undertaking in Dallas County. Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-303-watkins.mp3 8:48 Whether in the United States Congress or at the state level, the trend in health care policy has decidedly in the direction of a larger role for government. Voters say they want that, but should they? Looking at that question with us this week is Mary Katherine Stout, Vice President of Policy and Director of the Center for Health Care Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 10 Jan 2008 02:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-302-stout.mp3 9:20 2007 was an eventful year in Texas policy. This week, we are pleased to bring you a roundtable discussion featuring the policy team at the Texas Public Policy Foundation looking back at 2007 and ahead to 2008. Thu, 3 Jan 2008 12:05:00 -0300 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-301-review.mp3 15:12 The Texas Constitution authorizes the Legislature to meet in regular session for 140 days in each odd-numbered year. So what do they do the rest of the time? Well, when they are fortunate enough not to be called back into special session, they are researching issues in preparation for the next regular session. Last month, Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick issued interim charges to the various House committees, and we sat down with him recently to discuss those charges. Thu, 20 Dec 2007 12:05:00 -0400 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-235-craddick.mp3 7:26 Last month, many Texas cable customers accustomed to seeing their Dallas Cowboys play couldn't see the game against the Green Bay Packers due to an ongoing dispute between the National Football League and several major cable providers over carriage of the NFL Network. As the two sides remain deadlocked at the negotiating table, they have pressed their cases through vigorous and expensive public relations campaigns. And with this week's Houston Texans game and next week's Dallas game also affected by this dispute, the Texas Legislature is getting involved. On Monday, the House Regulated Industries Committee held a public hearing on this issue. Bill Peacock, Director of the Foundation's Center for Economic Freedom, testified at the hearing, and you can find both his testimony and his latest commentary on the Foundation's website at www.TexasPolicy.com. Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:05:00 -0400 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-234-peacock.mp3 7:06 In October, the TPPF board selected Dr. Wendy Lee Gramm as its new Chairman. The late President Ronald Reagan called her "his favorite economist" and the Wall Street Journal dubbed her "the Margaret Thatcher of financial regulation." She began her career teaching economics at Texas A&M and served in high-level positions in both the Reagan and first Bush administrations - among them, executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Regulatory Relief, and chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Besides her work with TPPF, she is also a distinguished senior scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. We are pleased to bring you a conversation with our new chairman, Dr. Wendy Lee Gramm. Thu, 6 Dec 2007 12:05:00 -0200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-233-gramm.mp3 6:54 Millions of Texans have committed a criminal offense at some point in their lives. The conventional wisdom is that an ex-offender can settle his debt to society by paying a fine, maybe serving a little time, and completing probation or parole. But increasingly, ex-offenders in Texas are finding that their state government continues to treat them like criminals, thwarting their ability to make an honest living and positive contributions to their communities. The Foundation's Center for Effective Justice hosted a Policy Primer on November 7, 2007 that addressed this issue - the audio of which is available in the multimedia section on TexasPolicy.com. The Center has also issued a new report on this issue entitled, "Working With Conviction: Criminal Offenses as Barriers to Entering Licensed Occupations in Texas," and its author, Marc Levin, is our guest this week. Thu, 29 Nov 2007 02:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-232-levin.mp3 8:46 The Honorable Maurice McTigue had a distinguished career as a member in the New Zealand Parliament, during which he played a key role in the reform and deregulation of a variety of industries and government functions, including public education. When McTigue took office, New Zealand's education system was plagued by bureaucratic micromanagement, outsized administrative costs, and poor student performance. (Sound familiar?) What McTigue and others came up with was the "Tomorrow's Schools" initiative, which broke up the government bureaucracy and gave parents unprecedented control over the operations of their children's schools. We discussed that with him in the second part of our two-part interview. Thu, 15 Nov 2007 02:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-231-mctigue.mp3 6:15 The Honorable Maurice McTigue had a distinguished career as a member in the New Zealand Parliament, during which he played a key role in the reform and deregulation of a variety of industries and government functions. In 1999, Queen Elizabeth the Second bestowed him with the Queen's Service Order, one of the highest honors attainable for public service in New Zealand. Today, he is Vice President and Director of the Government Accountability Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, which allows him to communicate the lessons of his practical experience to policymakers in the United States. In the first of a two-part interview, he shares his thoughts on how to create a more prosperous Texas. Thu, 8 Nov 2007 02:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-230-mctigue.mp3 5:30 The Texas tax system has been a major reason why our economy and population have been booming the last several years. But with a new business tax kicking in next spring, will Texas still look good compared to other states? We explored these questions with Stephen Moore, senior economics writer and editorial board member at The Wall Street Journal, when he was in Austin last week to speak at the inaugural Capital Campus Texas. Thu, 1 Nov 2007 12:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-229-moore.mp3 5:59 The media frequently reports on math and science shortages, both in industry and in the teaching field. This is no surprise, given that Texas and U.S. students score behind the rest of the world in math and science achievement tests. Over the past two years, the Texas Public Policy Foundation has investigated the state of math and science education in Texas, publishing a series of papers that will soon culminate in a reform agenda for Texas policymakers. Discussing these findings with us this week is Jamie Story, an education policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 25 Oct 2007 02:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-228-story.mp3 6:53 Over the last few years, Texas has been on the leading edge of a national debate on how best to meet the infrastructure needs of a growing population and economy. In many countries, the private sector has been given a prominent role in the development and management of major infrastructure projects. But in Texas, proposals for privately built and financed toll projects have met with vehement opposition. We look at these issues in the second part of our interview with Len Gilroy, senior policy analyst at the Reason Foundation and managing editor of the Reason Foundation's Privatization Watch newsletter. Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-227-gilroy2.mp3 9:28 States, counties, and cities across the country are finding that privatization and managed competition can help them provide their citizens with a higher quality of services at a lower cost. We take a closer look at these concepts in the first of a two-part interview with Len Gilroy, senior policy analyst at the Reason Foundation and managing editor of the Reason Foundation's Privatization Watch newsletter. Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-226-gilroy1.mp3 9:36 Too many graduates from Texas high schools are academically unprepared for the rigors of college-level work. A new report from the Texas Public Policy Foundation detailed how the need for remedial education at the college level costs students, higher education institutions, taxpayers, and the economy. Sharing her findings this week is the paper's author, Brooke Terry, an education policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 4 Oct 2007 00:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-225-terry.mp3 7:01 On Monday, October 1st, former Vice President Al Gore brings his "Inconvenient Truth" speaking tour to the Frank Erwin Center at the University of Texas at Austin. But in this week's PolicyCast, we talk to Drew Thornley, a policy analyst in the Center for Economic Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, who viewed his film, researched his claims, and found the truth to be conveniently missing. Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-224-thornley.mp3 9:26 Most of the laws passed by the 80th Texas Legislature went into effect on September 1. Reviewing the most significant new statutes in the area of criminal justice is Center for Effective Justice Director Marc Levin. Thu, 13 Sep 2007 00:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-223-levin.mp3 9:08 This week marked the start of classes for students at many of our Texas colleges and universities. But are these students learning what they really need to know? A paper released by the Foundation earlier this year found that Texas universities are doing a woefully inadequate job of ensuring that their students graduate with a strong knowledge of American history, government, and economics. We bring you a conversation with the author of that paper, Dr. Gary Scott -- a Senior Research Fellow in Civic Literacy at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and a Senior Research Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation -- to find out what we can do to make sure that Texas undergraduates no longer fail at civics. Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-222-scott.mp3 6:49 This week, we conclude our look back at the 80th Texas Legislature with a review of the session in health care. Our guest this week is Mary Katherine Stout, the Vice President of Policy and Director of Health Care Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 16 Aug 2007 12:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-221-stout.mp3 7:17 This week, we bring you the fourth in our five-part series on the 80th Texas Legislature. Our guest is Bill Peacock, Director of the Center for Economic Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 2 Aug 2007 00:05:00 -1200 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-220-cef.mp3 7:46 This week, we continue our five-part series on the 80th Texas Legislature with a look at education policy. Our guests are Brooke Terry and Jamie Story, education policy analysts for the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-219-education.mp3 8:36 This week, we continue our five-part series on the 80th Texas Legislature by looking at its record on effective justice issues. Our guest is Marc Levin, Director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Sat, 7 Jul 2007 12:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-218-levin.mp3 12:00 Legislative sessions can be difficult to follow, given the numerous quickly moving parts and the political circus that always seem to accompany. Now that the session is done and the legislators have gone home, what did they wind up accomplishing for Texas? This week, we begin a five-part series on the 80th Texas Legislature looking at its record on fiscal issues. Providing the assessment is Dr. Byron Schlomach, the Foundation's Chief Economist. Wed, 20 Jun 2007 18:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-217-fiscal.mp3 9:16 Perhaps the most contentious veto battle of the 80th Texas Legislature involves your property rights. If allowed to become law, House Bill 2006 by Rep. Beverly Woolley would restore the protections that the U.S. Supreme Court blew to bits in its 2005 Kelo v. New London decision. But cities, counties, and the Texas Department of Transportation are prodding Gov. Perry for a veto, saying that the bill would make it too difficult and expensive for them to exercise eminent domain and take your land. Bill Peacock, Director of the Foundation's Center for Economic Freedom, has been heavily involved in this debate, and we talked to him about it earlier this week. Thu, 7 Jun 2007 02:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-216-peacock.mp3 7:05 With less than two weeks remaining, the 80th Texas Legislature is racing to complete action on several major issues - one of them being a revamp of Texas' Medicaid program, which provides health coverage to more than 2.8 million low-income Texans. Medicaid is arguably the main cost driver in state government. During the 2004-2005 biennium, Medicaid accounted for 18 percent of state spending. Today, that figure is 25 percent. States are increasingly realizing that Medicaid will bankrupt them unless major changes are made. To discuss what Texas is considering, we have Mary Katherine Stout, Vice President of Policy and Director of the Center for Health Care Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 17 May 2007 12:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-215-stout.mp3 6:42 When the state government has a $14.2 billion surplus, your taxes should go down, right? Unfortunately, not every legislator seems to think so. With less than four weeks left in the 80th Texas Legislature, two promising bills that would cut your taxes appear to be stalled, while a bill that would raise taxes may soon be debated on the House floor. We're talking tax bills in the Legislature with former House Appropriations Chairman Talmadge Heflin, now a Visiting Research Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and Byron Schlomach, the Foundation's Chief Economist. Wed, 2 May 2007 18:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-214-fiscal.mp3 7:06 When you open your monthly phone bill, how much of it reflects the actual cost of the service as opposed to the taxes charged on it? Even savvy consumers have a hard time figuring out their bills. The Texas Public Policy Foundation just published a study on that very question, and it turns out that Texas consumers pay some of the highest overall tax rates in the nation on telecommunications services. Discussing the findings with us this week is Bill Peacock, Director of the Foundation's Center for Economic Freedom. Thu, 19 Apr 2007 18:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-213-peacock.mp3 6:00 For the last several weeks, the lead story in just about every newspaper or news broadcast has been about the horrific situation at the Texas Youth Commission. While not aware of the physical and sexual abuses in TYC facilities, the Texas Public Policy Foundation spotlighted several other structural problems with TYC at a Policy Primer we hosted in January -- the audio from which is available in the Multimedia section of our website, www.TexasPolicy.com. Marc Levin, Director of the Foundation's Center for Effective Justice, has been working with our state legislators on an overhaul of Texas' juvenile justice system, and we spoke with him earlier this week to get an update. Fri, 6 Apr 2007 02:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-212-levin.mp3 9:46 One of the highest profile issues so far in the 80th Texas Legislature has been electricity. The Legislature has been focused on what they consider the negatives of our market -- consumers paying higher rates than legislators think they should, companies proposing to build new types of generation facilities that legislators don't like, and businesses conducting voluntary transactions that legislators want regulators to intervene and potentially block. Several bills are quickly working their way through the Legislature to reinsert government into what are now marketplace decisions. But a new report from the Texas Public Policy Foundation strongly suggests that not only are these bills not needed, but that their passage would do great damage to Texas consumers. Thu, 29 Mar 2007 02:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-211-cef.mp3 10:04 When you get down to brass tacks, the only must-pass bill of a legislative session is the state budget. On Thursday, March 29th, the House's version of that bill goes up for floor debate. The responsibility of shepherding that bill through the House is assigned to the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and this session, that person is State Rep. Warren Chisum, who is in his 10th term representing the Texas Panhandle. We visited with him this week about that process. Thu, 22 Mar 2007 12:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-210-chisum.mp3 7:29 There are several forms of school choice: public school transfers, home schools, even virtual schools. One form of school choice that already exists in Texas is charter schools, and it has garnered a lot of media attention of late. Discussing the current state of charter schools in Texas is Jamie Story, an education policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Jamie's policy area of focus in the 80th legislative session is school choice. Wed, 14 Mar 2007 22:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-209-story.mp3 5:48 One of the constant refrains during the election season is that we need to cut government spending - that there is plenty of waste, fraud, and abuse that can be eliminated. So why does it seem to happen so rarely in the legislative process? We put that question to two members of the Foundation's staff who are veterans of the legislative budget fights - Byron Schlomach, the Chief Economist and Director of the Foundation's Center for Fiscal Policy; and the Honorable Talmadge Heflin, a former Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and 11-term member of the Texas House, and presently a Visiting Research Fellow at the Foundation. Thu, 8 Mar 2007 02:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-208-cfp.mp3 8:30 During the last four years, the measures taken by the 78th Texas Legislature to tighten the eligibility requirements for the Children's Health Insurance Program -- more commonly known as CHIP -- have come under scrutiny. On Thursday, March 1st, the House Human Services Committee will conduct a hearing at which it will consider approximately 30 bills that would undo several of those changes. To talk about the CHIP program and the 2003 reforms, we have Mary Katherine Stout, the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Vice President for Policy and Director of the Center for Health Care Policy Studies. Thu, 1 Mar 2007 02:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-207-stout.mp3 6:58 A lot of people talk about helping underprivileged children, but very few put their money where their mouth is like Dr. Jim Leininger. A San Antonio businessman, philanthropist, and Texas Public Policy Foundation board member, Dr. Leininger made his wealth by inventing and marketing revolutionary hospital bed and wound care technologies. But rather than lavishing himself with personal extravagances, Dr. Leininger has donated tens of millions of dollars over the last decade to provide scholarships so that disadvantaged children in San Antonio's Edgewood school district can escape unsafe and failing public schools. In this rare interview, Dr. Leininger talks about how he came to feel such passion for the issue of school choice, and shares some new research on the results from the Edgewood pilot program. Thu, 22 Feb 2007 18:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-206-leininger.mp3 12:38 Last week was the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Fifth Annual Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature. More than 500 people attended the two-day event, with one of the highlights being the Wednesday evening keynote address by 19-time Emmy Award winner John Stossel. Throughout Stossel's career, he has challenged the conventional wisdom in a matter that is both informative and entertaining. After starting his career as a consumer reporter, he has been on ABC's 20/20 since 1981 and co-anchor of that show for the last four years. Stossel is the author of three books -- the most recent being last year's "Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity: Get Out the Shovel - Why Everything You Know is Wrong," which included a chapter on the dismal state of American public education. Wed, 14 Feb 2007 18:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-205-stossel.mp3 7:37 For many years, the state of Texas has administered its own standardized test to measure the performance of public school students. Since 2003, that test has been the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, or TAKS. Students must pass the TAKS in order to advance to the next grade, and they must pass all sections of the 11th-grade TAKS to graduate. But with the TAKS coming under increasing criticism, policymakers are now considering replacing the TAKS with a series of subject-specific, end-of-course exams. TPPF education policy analyst Brooke Dollens Terry recently published a paper on end-of-course exams, and she discusses her findings on this week's Texas PolicyCast. Wed, 7 Feb 2007 12:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-204-cep.mp3 5:25 Texas has long prided itself in being tough on crime -- leading the nation in executions, handing down long sentences to offenders, and operating prisons that will never been confused with day spas. But are we being smart about crime? With more than 1,700 criminal offenses in Texas law, a person increasingly runs the risk of incarceration for what, until recently, had been normal business activities. The over-criminalization of non-violent behavior will be in the spotlight this session, and this week's guest is Marc Levin, Director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Wed, 31 Jan 2007 18:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-203-levin.mp3 11:54 Last summer, Texas Gov. Rick Perry created a task force to review Texas' system of appraising property values. Homeowners, in particular, have complained about skyrocketing local property taxes and what they perceive as arbitrary and unfair appraisal methods. After conducting hearings across the state, the panel issued its report on Tuesday, January 23rd. This week's PolicyCast features Brooke Rollins, president of the Texas Public Policy Foundation and one of the individuals tapped by Gov. Perry to serve on the task force. Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-202-rollins.mp3 12:41 As of January 1st, Texas completed the final steps toward a fully competitive electricity market in most parts of the state. What will that mean for Texas businesses and consumers? We consider these issues with Bill Peacock, director of the Center for Economic Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 18 Jan 2007 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-201-cef.mp3 6:17 With a growing population, Texans are told we should expect an increase in crime, and therefore the number of criminals who need to be locked behind bars. This necessitates not only the initial cost of building the prisons, but the ongoing expenses associated with incarceration. Discussing with us today the issues surrounding this aspect of criminal justice is State Representative Jerry Madden of Plano. First elected to the legislature in 1992, Rep. Madden is chairman of the House Committee on Corrections. Thu, 21 Dec 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-141-madden.mp3 7:58 Regulations designed to protect the environment have greatly increased over the last several decades. Balancing legitimate concerns of ensuring air and water quality with the importance of maintaining a strong and vibrant economy has fallen to State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, chairman of the Texas House Committee on Environmental Regulation. He was first elected to the Texas House in 1996. Thu, 14 Dec 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-140-bonnen.mp3 9:32 Over the last two decades talk radio has emerged as a powerful force in political and policy dialogue. But for many show hosts their involvement in the process ends when the show goes off the air for the day. Love him or hate him, one has to agree that that has not been the case for Dan Patrick. He was involved off-the-air in working for taxpayer protections in Houston and across the state long before deciding to run for the state senate. Winning outright an open primary election this spring, and having just won the general election, he is preparing to represent Senate District 7 in the Texas Legislature. This is another installment in a series of PolicyCast interviews with legislators leading up to the Jan. 9 start of the 80th Session of the Texas Legislature. Thu, 7 Dec 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-139-patrick.mp3 13:40 Education reform and school finance have dominated headlines for several years. The issue, rightly, will continue to be one that inspires passionate discussion across the state. At the forefront of these discussions has been State Senator Florence Shapiro of Plano in her role as chair of the Senate Education Committee. In this installment of a series of interviews with lawmakers, Senator Shapiro looks at the education issues that will be addressed in the 80th Session of the Texas Legislature, which begins Tuesday, January 9, 2007. Thu, 30 Nov 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-138-shapiro.mp3 15:46 Texans are frustrated with rising property taxes, and indeed with the entire appraisal process. Earlier this fall Texas Governor Rick Perry appointed a special task force charged with developing specific reforms to the system. That task force has now completed a tour around the state, holding hearings in all the major cities, and will soon be releasing a package of recommendations. What kinds of recommendations can Texans expect? This edition of Texas PolicyCast features task force member and Texas Public Policy Foundation president Brooke Rollins. Wed, 22 Nov 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-137-rollins.mp3 10:22 Texas has led the nation in reforming the telecommunications and electricity markets, reducing regulations and allowing competition. At the forefront of those ongoing efforts has been State Representative Phil King of Weatherford in his position as chairman of the House Committee on Regulated Industries. Mr. King was first elected to the Texas House in 1998. This is the first in an ongoing series of PolicyCast interviews with lawmakers as they prepare for the 80th Session of the Texas Legislature, which begins January 9, 2007. Thu, 16 Nov 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-136-king.mp3 5:44 It's become a political cliche to say that everyone is concerned with the quality of health care and the associated skyrocketing prices. While the United States is the indisputable leader in advances in health care, Americans are facing the prospect of less and less affordable health insurance. This has led to recommendations (including from those on the political right) that the United States abandon what's left of the free market in health care and adopt more government controls. Will this solve our problems? GUEST: Mike Tanner, director of health and welfare studies at the Washington, DC-based Cato Institute. Thu, 9 Nov 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-135-tanner.mp3 5:44 It is popular today to promote new forms of "clean energy," but as technology improves, conventional energy sources are fast becoming clean energy themselves. As a result, pollution has been on the decline for decades. Yet environmental activists continue to push for costly clean energy projects and regulations, even though consumers are frustrated with high energy costs. Do we really need more regulations? Will conventional energy sources meet our needs for both a reliable supply of electricity and clean air? GUEST: Bill Peacock, director of the Center for Economic Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 2 Nov 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-134-cef-energy.mp3 6:56 Conventional wisdom has it that Americans, particularly conservatives, have grown weary of big-spending lawmakers. But are they going to take that attitude to the polls? With just weeks remaining before Election Day, we chat with Wall Street Journal and OpinionJournal.com columnist John Fund. He is the author of several books, most recently "Stealing Elections: How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy." He started with the Wall Street Journal in 1984, and served on the Wall Street Journal's editorial board for six years. Thu, 26 Oct 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-133-fund.mp3 9:08 The battle for good public policy rages on both sides of the Atlantic. A key foot soldier in the battles on both fronts has been John Blundell. Director-general of the Institute of Economic Affairs in the U.K., John has had a distinguished career both in Europe and the United States. He was a key lieutenant of Primer Minister Margaret Thatcher, and has written extensively about the importance of policy leaders being well-grounded in sound thinking. In this PolicyCast interview, Blundell discusses the importance of public policy being grounded in the right ideas, and the lessons to be learned from Lady Thatcher. Thu, 19 Oct 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-132-blundell.mp3 7:05 Earlier this year, lawmakers voted to implement a plan that would reduce school maintenance and operations property taxes by a third by using revenue generated by a new business tax. (A portion of the buy-down was achieved through the use of some of the state's surplus revenues.) A new paper from the Texas Public Policy Foundation's chief economist, Dr. Byron Schlomach, says those same school property taxes could be significantly reduced, or even eliminated altogether, using only fiscal restraint. Thu, 12 Oct 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-131-cfp-propertytax.mp3 7:11 Government reform must begin with accountability and transparency, argues former New Zealand cabinet member and ambassador, Maurice McTigue. As architect of the policy reforms that revitalized that nation in the 1980s and 1990s, Mr. McTigue says the emphasis on government must be on results, not programs and process. (Mr. McTigue was recently the featured speaker at an event for the Texas Public Policy Foundation's friends and supporters in Midland, Texas.) Thu, 5 Oct 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-130-mctigue.mp3 7:39 Texans are preparing for an unusual gubernatorial election cycle this year, with five major candidates seeking the opportunity to serve as the state's chief executive officer. Texas PolicyCast invited the candidates to discuss the issues facing the Lone Star State. In this last installment of our month-long series we present a conversation with the Republican incumbent, Governor Rick Perry. Elected to the Texas House in 1984, he was elected to statewide office as the Commissioner of Agriculture in 1990 and then as Lieutenant Governor in 1998. He was sworn in as governor in December 2000, and then elected in 2002. A graduate of Texas A & M University, Perry served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. Thu, 28 Sep 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-129-rick-perry.mp3 16:43 Texans are preparing for an unusual gubernatorial election cycle this year, with five major candidates seeking the opportunity to serve as the state's chief executive officer. Texas PolicyCast invited the candidates to discuss the issues facing the Lone Star State. This week we visit with Democratic Party nominee Chris Bell. A former journalist and attorney, he was elected to the Houston City Council in 1997, and then served one term in the U.S. House. He is a graduate of the University of Texas. Thu, 21 Sep 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-128-c-bell.mp3 14:36 Texans are preparing for an unusual gubernatorial election cycle this year, with five major candidates seeking the opportunity to serve as the state's chief executive officer. Texas PolicyCast invited the candidates to discuss the issues facing the Lone Star State. This week we visit with Libertarian Party nominee James Werner. With degrees from Vanderbilt University and UCLA, he works in information technology and developmen. Thu, 14 Sep 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-127-jwerner.mp3 13:13 Texans are preparing for an unusual gubernatorial election cycle this year, with five major candidates seeking the opportunity to serve as the state's chief executive officer. Texas PolicyCast invited the candidates to discuss the issues facing the Lone Star State. This week we visit with independent candidate Richard "Kinky" Friedman. A musician and novelist, he graduated from the University of Texas. He gathered 169,574 signatures to garner a position on the November ballot. Thu, 7 Sep 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-126-friedman.mp3 8:58 From education and taxes to health care and property rights, Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick provides a look at the important issues facing the state after the November elections, while reflecting on recent legislative highlights. Serving in the legislature since 1968, Speaker Craddick has led the charge on many important reforms, but he points to the need for more work on a host of critical issues. Thu, 31 Aug 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-125-speakercraddick.mp3 9:00 School bells are ringing in a new academic year across the United States, but American kids are seriously lagging behind their peers in other countries in math and science education. This problem has been well documented both in academic research, and explored in feature articles in the mainstream news media. Put simply, the future of the nation's economy is at stake. With young men and women not possessing the necessary knowledge in math and science, the United States is falling behind in producing the next generation of engineers and scientists we need. How can we turn the tide? Guest: Jamie Story, education policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Center for Education Policy. Thu, 24 Aug 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-124-cep.mp3 6:32 With the state expected to need almost 10,000 new prison beds by 2010, the legislature has little choice but to address the issue when they meet next session. While many hope lawmakers will seek to affect policy changes that reduce the need for so many new beds, most are also realistically considering how the state can meet the need in the most efficient way possible. Should Texas build more prison space, or consider leasing more space from county jails and private facilities? Guest: Marc Levin, director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 17 Aug 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-123-cej.mp3 14:00 Texas voters in 1978 approved an amendment to the state's constitution, hoping it would limit the growth of government. Several states at that time implemented similar measures, and others have since, but Texas' limit is considered one of the weakest. If lawmakers and the public intend to restrict the growth in the size of government, then the state's spending limitation must be reformed. Guest: Byron Schlomach, Ph.D., chief economist of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 10 Aug 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-122-cfp.mp3 7:40 In 2003 the Legislature directed the Health and Human Services Commission to bring greater efficiency to the processing of applications for state assistance. Specifically, the Commission was directed to utilize call centers and outsource the work, if true cost savings could be realized. The commission last year signed a contract with Texas Access Alliance, a consortium of firms that would take over routine functions and data collection. This is one of the largest outsourcing projects in the state's history. The contract began phasing in late last year, with the roll-out set to gradually cover the state. However, problems in the transition have stalled the planned implementation. Meanwhile, relentless criticism from advocates of big government have sought to derail the privatization effort altogether. Guest: Albert Hawkins, executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Thu, 3 Aug 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-121-hhs.mp3 7:38 State government operates day-in and day-out at the agency level. Most of the state's $140 billion budget runs through those agencies, highlighting the need for them to be operated efficiently and to the benefit of the taxpayer -- not to simply exist for the purpose of existing. Diane Rath is chair of the Texas Workforce Commission, which has a $1.1 billion budget, employs 3,400 people, and manages 28 federal and state programs. Ms. Rath has developed a reputation for running an agency based on fiscal accountability, and not bureaucratic growth. In this wide-ranging interview, she addresses the important role ideas play in shaping the daily operations of government. Thu, 27 Jul 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-120-twc-dr.mp3 15:41 Texans pay the third-highest tax burden in the country on telecommunications services, a significant portion of which are levied by local government as franchise fees. These taxes, which are reflected on your phone and cable bill, were originally designed to cover the costs associated with these companies accessing the public right of way -- beneath and over streets, strung along roads, and through residential areas. Increasingly, Texas taxes on telecommunications are making the state uncompetitive, and -- worse -- could negatively affect access to new technologies. Guest: Bill Peacock, director of the Center for Economic Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 20 Jul 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-119-cef.mp3 6:49 Setting reasonable fiscal priorities for government is not just an issue of importance for the state of Texas. After all, expanding budgets are a concern for taxpayers at every level of government, from the smallest township to the United States Congress. But is it enough for elected officials at budget-writing time to simply check that bureaucrats are following accounting rules, that they are trying to keep costs low, and being efficient with the tax dollars? Certainly those questions are desirable and necessary... but not enough, argues the former chairman of the Texas House Appropriations committee and the chief economist at the Texas Public Policy Foundation in a paper published this month. Fundamental questions must be asked; questions whose answers lawmakers and program advocates may not like. Guests: The Honorable Talmadge Heflin and Dr. Byron Schlomach. Thu, 13 Jul 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-118-cfp.mp3 15:35 Universal Pre-K has found vocal advocates around the country who suggest there are positive economic and educational benefits from such a taxpayer funded program. The proposal received a lot of publicity recently as a ballot initiative in California. However, the measure was overwhelmingly rejected, with 61 percent of Californians saying no. Yet advocates are undeterred, working now to advance their cause in Texas. Are the costs of universal Pre-K worth the effects on students? Guest: Jamie Story, education policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 6 Jul 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-117-cep.mp3 6:37 With the Lone Star State facing $1 billion in possible building costs for additional prison space over the next four years, many in Texas are looking for more efficient ways to punish non-violent offenders. This is an issue expected to be high on the agenda for lawmakers in the next legislative session. This edition of Texas PolicyCast explores ways the state can cut costs without appearing soft on crime. Guest: Marc Levin, director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 29 Jun 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-116-cej.mp3 11:14 This week marks a dubious national anniversary: last year, Americans were stunned by the United States Supreme Court's ruling that private property could be taken by local governments from one individual and given to another, all in the name of economic development. Many believe the ruling fundamentally betrays the principles of private property ownership. This edition of Texas PolicyCast explores the problems created by the Kelo v New London decision, and the solutions available to Texas and other states. Guest: Bill Peacock, director of the Center for Economic Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 22 Jun 2006 06:05:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-115-cef.mp3 10:31 The office of Texas Governor Rick Perry and the Legislative Budget Board recently asked state agencies to cut 10 percent from current spending as they prepare their budget requests for the legislature. Predictably, the request has sparked outrage from those who support big and growing government. But does the request makes sense for taxpayers? Guest: Dr. Byron Schlomach, chief economist at the Texas Public POlicy Foundation. Thu, 15 Jun 2006 04:00:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-114-cfp.mp3 6:13 Not a day goes by, it seems, without a reminder that health care is expensive, and getting only more so. Yet the most basic information regarding the exchange of goods and services -- that of upfront pricing -- isn't something a patient can readily access when making decisions about doctors and hospitals. The "price check" simply doesn't exist, for all intents and purposes. This lack of price transparency in modern health care is an issue some are ready to confront at both the state and federal level. Guest: Mary Katherine Stout, director of the Center for Health Care Policy Studies at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 8 Jun 2006 04:00:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-113-chc.mp3 9:37 From public education to bottled water, popular views affecting culture and policy are often shaped as much by myth as by truth. Busting those myths week-in and week-out is John Stossel, the co-anchor of ABC News' 20/20. An Emmy Award winning journalist and best-selling author, his 'Give Me A Break' segments and hour-long investigative specials are among the most popular on television. Whether it is the excesses of big government or the conventional wisdom of popular culture, John shines light and truth where few others have the courage to go. He has just released his second book, "Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity: Get Out the Shovel - Why Everything You Know is Wrong." Guest: John Stossel. Thu, 1 Jun 2006 04:00:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-112-stossel.mp3 9:53 In the early 1990s Texans became increasingly concerned about the drain tort abuse was having on the state's economy. Research conducted by the Texas Public Policy Foundation and others concluded that Texans would benefit economically by reining in lawsuit abuse. Efforts to reform the system came to a head in 2003 when comprehensive tort reform was passed by the legislature and approved by the public in the form of a constitutional amendment. But has "tort reform" paid off? According to a new study by the Pacific Research Institute, those reforms have given Texas the premier tort system in the nation. Thu, 25 May 2006 04:00:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-111-pri.mp3 11:17 Legislators have concluded their work aimed at satisfying a ruling from the Texas Supreme Court declaring the state's school finance system unconstitutional. Lawmakers had to provide meaningful discretion to local school districts in setting their property tax rates by June 1, or face a shut-down of the schools. But did they accomplish the task? And what are the practical implications for taxpayers and teachers? Discussing the tax and education implications of the special session are the Foundation's chief economist, Byron Schlomach, Ph.D., and education policy analyst, Jamie Story. Thu, 18 May 2006 08:00:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-110-session.mp3 08:04 After a brief respite over the winter, high energy bills are back in the news. Three-dollar-per-gallon gas at the pump and the prospect of skyrocketing electricity bills as summer approaches have grabbed everyone's attention. Is it greedy profits or bad policies that are driving these rates? To discuss the problems created by existing energy policies, and the solutions available to both Texas and the United States, is Bill Peacock, director of the Center for Economic Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Thu, 11 May 2006 12:00:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-109-cef.mp3 06:55 Taxpayer protection has taken on additional significance during this special session of the Texas Legislature. As lawmakers look to shift tax burdens, and even create new types of taxes, many are worried, perhaps rightly, that without adequate protections taxpayers may be handed even larger bills in the future. This edition of Texas PolicyCast is a conversation with Texas State Senator Kyle Janek. First elected to the Texas House in 1995, and then to the Senate in 2002, he has distinguished himself as a staunch advocate for fiscal responsibility and taxpayer protection. Thu, 4 May 2006 12:00:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-108-leg.mp3 08:21 As lawmakers meet in a special session on school finance, there are those in and around the Capitol who are using the occasion to call for across-the-board pay raises for teachers and other public school employees. The proposals range from a thousand-dollar to a six-thousand-dollar across-the-board raises. Some claim these pay raises are needed because Texas teachers are underpaid. But do across-the-board raises help? Will they promote better academic achievement and draw more math and science teachers, or simply preserve the status quo? A discussion with Jamie Story of the Foundation's Center for Education Policy Studies. Thu, 27 Apr 2006 08:00:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-107-cep.mp3 07:11 Just hours before the legislature gaveled into special session to consider taxes and the funding of public schools, the Texas Comptroller announced that 8.2 billion dollars in surplus money was available to lawmakers. Many people view the surplus as an overpayment for the cost of government that should be returned to the taxpayers, while others suggest the surplus is not even real. Still others around the Capitol believe that even if the surplus exists, the money cannot be used for tax relief because doing so would violate the spending limitation put in the state constitution in the late 1970s. In this edition of the Texas PolicyCast, John Colyandro of the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute and Byron Schlomach of the Texas Public Policy Foundation address these questions. Thu, 20 Apr 2006 08:00:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-106-cfp.mp3 11:27 When the state Supreme Court ruled late last year on public school finance, they found that the existing system is inefficient. The court noted that the large number of school districts makes it difficult for them to produce sound educational results without waste, and that no economies of scale can be achieved when districts, particularly small districts, duplicate staffing, facilities, and administration. The ruling, of course, raised the specter of school consolidation, a concept that provokes deeply emotional responses in communities throughout the state. Chris Patterson, the visiting research fellow in the Center for Education Policy, discusses the research behind school consolidation, and suggests a better way to view the issue. Thu, 13 Apr 2006 08:00:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-105-cep.mp3 05:55 Since it began in 1965 as assistance for the poor and uninsured, Medicaid has grown into a program costing taxpayers around the country more than 300 billion dollars a year. Medicaid surpasses public education as the top budget line-item in many states, including Texas, and threatens to overwhelm other budget priorities. Thu, 6 Apr 2006 08:00:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-104-chc.mp3 12:42 The Texas Tax Reform Commission has now unveiled their recommendation for consideration by the legislature. But when lawmakers meet in special session, they will have a variety of options to consider, all tagged with the politically charged labels of progressive and regressive. Byron Schlomach, chief economist at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, discusses the relevance of these labels, the impact taxes have on Texas, and the burden everyone must bear. Thu, 30 Mar 2006 08:00:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-103-cfp.mp3 07:51 The governor has announced he is calling lawmakers back to Austin on April 17 for a special session to once again attempt to fix to the Texas education finance system. This time, the legislature faces a June 1 deadline, with the Texas Supreme Court threatening to shut down the schools unless the issue is resolved. Brooke Rollins, president of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, discusses the likelihood of success, the issues driving the debate, and possible solutions. Thu, 23 Mar 2006 08:00:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-102-session.mp3 05:42 Lawmakers are facing a court-ordered June 1 deadline to fix public school finance. As the debate heats up, it is important that lawmakers and the public use facts, not rhetoric, to guide the important decisions ahead. A discussion about school spending facts with Jamie Story of the Foundation's Center for Education Policy Studies. Thu, 16 Mar 2006 08:00:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-101-cep.mp3 04:51 An introduction to the Texas PolicyCast program by the Texas Public Policy Foundation's vice president, Michael Quinn Sullivan. Wed, 15 Mar 2006 08:00:00 -0600 http://www.policycast.com/texas/cast/tpc-100-vp.mp3 00:54