Judge A. Shepard

Policy Analyst @TPPF specializing in Private Property Rights. @OleMiss & @MC_Law alum
"a name and not a title"

[Texas Public Policy Foundation @TPPF]

TPPF's Mandy Drogin and @JudgeShepardTX break down how the bond process in Texas has been hijacked by a network of architects, engineering firms, consultants, lobbyists, and political action committees driving massive school bond elections. #txlege

[Texas Public Policy Foundation @TPPF]

TPPF’s Government Reform & Oversight Coalition released a major research report exposing the Education Cartel in Texas, a network of consultants, vendors, and special interests profiting off the state’s school bond system at taxpayers’ expense. #txlege 🧵https://t.co/1lNgVLN3FJ

[Jose Melendez @JoseMelendezTX]

🚨 NEW REPORT 🚨

Texas school bond debt has now exceeded $236 BILLION.

Our new report highlights the role of consultants, vendors, including firms like @MoakCasey, in shaping Texas school bond elections.

Read more👇
https://t.co/cf29I9DVZ5 @TPPF

[Jose Melendez @JoseMelendezTX]

🚨 NEW REPORT 🚨

Taxpayer-funded lobbying in Texas hit as much as $111.5 MILLION during the 89th Legislature, more than doubling since the 85th Legislature.

The government shouldn’t lobby itself with your money. It's time we end the weaponization of our tax dollars.

Read the full report👇
https://t.co/cOTB2qJfSg @TPPF

[Texas Public Policy Foundation @TPPF]

Today, the Government Reform and Oversight Coalition (GROC) announced its initial slate of coalition partners, bringing together leading state and national organizations united behind one central reform: ending taxpayer-funded lobbying in Texas. @A1Policy @America1stWorks @GAWTP @TexasGOP @Freedom4Teachrs @FreedomFdtn @COSProject @momsforamerica @Moms4Liberty @TXReasSolutions @TexasEF @TexasYRs @GoldwaterInst @SAFAfamily @CACRClub @Texas_Taxpayers Texas Coalition of Republican Clubs 🧵#txlege

[Texas Public Policy Foundation @TPPF]

Today, our Government Reform & Oversight Coalition (GROC) released their Liberty Action Agenda for the 2027 90th Texas Legislature.

GROC's policy agenda includes:

End Taxpayer Funded Lobbying: Bans local governments from using taxpayer funds for lobbying activities or paying dues to lobbying associations.

Dismantle The Education Cartel: Prevents school districts from using cooperatives and investing in pools run by nonprofit associations engaged in lobbying.

Ban Ranked Choice Voting: Codifies a ban on ranked-choice voting to prevent cities from adopting it and protect one-person-one-vote integrity.

Preempt Progressive Policy: Texas should build upon the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act to further curtail big government activity in cities and counties grossly inconsistent with Texas’ vision of conservative governance.

Texas Equality Act / Local Government DEI Ban: Bans local government DEI offices, quotas, preferences, and trainings to enforce colorblind and viewpoint-neutral governance.

Texas Public Information Act Amendments: Reforms the Public Information Act to improve access, reduce fees, and enhance parental rights to inspect educational materials.

Minimum Threshold Criteria Necessary to Support a Political Subdivision: Establishes population and fiscal criteria for the consolidation or elimination of local government entities that cannot sustain core functions.

Remove Red Tape to Increase Housing Supply: Builds upon existing reforms to remove outdated zoning barriers and allow the free market to deliver more homes to Texans.

Prohibit the Collection of Public Employee Union Dues by the State: Ends automatic payroll deduction of union dues for state employees to reduce union political influence.

Prohibit ISD Electioneering: Increases penalties for school district officials using taxpayer resources for political campaigning.

Trustee Reform: Return trustee training to the Texas Education Agency and reaffirm that the superintendent is subordinate to the board of trustees.

#txlege

[Texas Public Policy Foundation @TPPF]

Today, our Taxpayer Protection Project has unveiled their full Liberty Action Agenda for the 90th Texas Legislature:

Uniform VATRE Threshold: Proposes setting a uniform voter-approval tax rate election (VATRE) threshold of 2.5% for all political subdivisions to align with school district limits.

Reining in Local Spending: Caps city and county spending growth to population plus inflation to control local government expansion.

Property Tax Relief and Pathway to Elimination: Continues buying down school M&O property taxes to move Texas toward eliminating property taxes.

Public Money for Public Purposes: Require local governments to spend or direct public money to public purposes only. Tighten the current constitutional and statutory definition of public use and provide for enforcement mechanisms.

Local Government Balanced Budget Requirement: Require local governments to adopt balanced budgets to prevent spending beyond their means.

Local Government Debt Limitation: Impose statutory or constitutional limits on the amount of debt local governments can accrue to encourage fiscal discipline.

Require a November Uniform Election Date for ALL elections: Mandates elections occur during high-turnout November elections to increase accountability.

Allow local taxing units unlimited authority to determine amount of homestead exemption: Proposes removal of the 20% cap on local homestead property tax exemptions to allow greater local discretion and competition.

Revise the 3.5%/2.5% local government revenue trigger to include all sources of revenue: Closes loopholes in tax revenue caps by including fees and grants in the calculation of local revenue growth triggers.

Strengthening the Voter Information Document (VID). Amend existing law to improve the usefulness and accuracy of the VID. Address methodological gaming and require political subdivisions to fully disclose all underlying assumptions and methodology.

Core Function Municipal Efficiency Act: Requires municipalities to adhere to core service areas and subjects any spending beyond those to annual audits and public review.

Eliminate State Business Margins Tax / Franchise Tax: Abolishes the gross revenue-based franchise tax to ease burdens on businesses and stimulate investment.

Raise Bond Approval Thresholds and Limit Bond Elections: Raises bond approval thresholds and limits bond elections to even-year general elections to reduce frivolous local spending.

Stop issuing long-term debt for depreciated property: Prohibits local governments from issuing long-term debt for property that depreciates before the bond matures.

Cash reserve limit for political subdivisions: Would cap the amount of cash reserves local governments may hold to prevent circumvention of spending limits.

Reform property insurance to ensure access to coverage: Calls for reforms to address rising home insurance premiums and limited availability, particularly along the Texas coast.

Expand Texas DOGE: Calls for expanding Texas’ newly created DOGE office to review the public expenditures of state agencies, universities, and local governments and recommend legislative reforms. Require governmental entities to comply with any audit and provide the documentation and detail necessary to understand how public funds are being collected and spent

Audit Homelessness Programs and Services: Homelessness is a complex issue that requires more than a one-size-fits-all approach and unlimited funding. To ensure the effectiveness of state and local programs as well as community services that receive public funding, policymakers should evaluate the efficacy of these efforts based on performance measures and audited data.

[Texas Public Policy Foundation @TPPF]

Today we are announcing our Liberty Action Agenda Top 10, a comprehensive list of the most important policy priorities Texas should advance during the 90th Legislative Session in 2027.

Eliminate Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying to stop local governments from using public dollars to hire unaccountable lobbyists.

Eliminate School Property Taxes and Rein in Local Spending by continuing to reform our property tax system and requiring balanced, responsible local budgets.

Ensure Affordable, Reliable Energy and Safeguard Water Infrastructure by strengthening grid reliability and modernizing water planning and groundwater management.

Make Government More Accountable and Transparent so Texans can clearly see how tax dollars are spent and what results they deliver.

Combat the Drug Cartels and Deport Dangerous Criminal Aliens by using every lawful tool to establish real operational control of the border.

Make Texas the National Leader in Education and Student Success through parent empowerment, education savings accounts, charter school growth, and teacher preparation reform.

Protect Children Online by shielding minors from predatory platforms, addictive algorithms, and harmful AI tools.

Support Strong Family Formation by restoring the family as the foundational unit of a healthy society.

Take Back Our Cities by strengthening law and order, supporting local law enforcement, and establishing regional district courts for serious crimes.

Protect Texas Elections and Ensure Enforcement of Election Violations by setting uniform statewide standards and ensuring consistent enforcement of election laws.

Texas has taken important steps to lead the nation on many fronts, including education, economic opportunity, and public safety. There is still more to be accomplished to ensure our state remains the best place in the country to live, work, and raise a family. The Liberty Action Agenda Top 10 lays out clear priorities to keep Texas Texan.

In subsequent announcements, each TPPF campaign will release its individual list of specific policy reforms. The full TPPF LAA consists of more than 70 items.

[Texas Public Policy Foundation @TPPF]

Today, our Government Reform and Oversight Coalition officially launched with a clear mission: to combat the forces that are driving runaway local spending, undermining property tax relief, and protecting an unaccountable education cartel that profits at taxpayers’ expense.

[Texas Public Policy Foundation @TPPF]

Appraisals are just one of the factors that determine Texans' property tax bills.

Local governments can—and should—lower tax rates to offset rising home values.

[Brian Phillips @RealBPhil]

The biggest topic of discussion in Texas right now is property taxes, so I pulled our @TPPF experts together to explain why they're so high, how your local governments are to blame, what the state is doing to address it, and what can be done to fix it with @JamesQuinteroTX and @JoseMelendezTX

[Texas Values (text txvalues to 797979 for update) @txvalues]

Join us on #TexasValuesReport Thursday, October 30th at 11:00am CT with special guest @JudgeShepardTX Policy Analyst, Taxpayer Protection Project, @TPPF, & host @JonathanSaenzTX, President & Attorney for Texas Values as they discuss the Constitutional Amendments on the ballot. https://t.co/eonFiPvBGF

[Jose Melendez @JoseMelendezTX]

Texas led the way on housing reform. Now it’s time to rebuild the American Dream. Join us on Nov 3 in Austin for “Build, Baby, Build” as we defend property rights and make homeownership attainable again.🏠RSVP: https://t.co/3uLNT3HWCW
@TXReasSolutions @YIMBYLAND @TPPF #txlege

[Helen Kerwin @HelenKerwin4TX]

Wonderful evening at the @TPPF Liberty Leadership Council! Making TEXAS Healthy Again promoting policies that keep our land and people safe for future generations.

[Brian Phillips @RealBPhil]

Austin wants a raise. But what are Austinites getting for their money right now? Waste, bad judgement, bureaucratic excess, pet projects, controversy.

"Before Austinites give the city a pay raise, it’s worth looking into where the city can make cuts, eliminate waste, and shift priorities before increasing the burden on taxpayers."

[Texas Public Policy Foundation @TPPF]

The city of Dallas approved an amendment to its 2025-26 budget that significantly cuts spending on contract lobbyists, and instead returns those funds back to taxpayers in the form of a lower property tax rate.

[Texas Public Policy Foundation @TPPF]

On the latest episode of Taxpayer empowerment, Darren York, Co-State Director of @COSProject Texas, breaks down the 17 amendments to the Texas Constitution that are on the ballot this November. #txkege @JudgeShepardTX @JoseMelendezTX

[Judge A. Shepard @JudgeShepardTX]

https://t.co/GlC6jnU3gd