Leaders of Right on Crime, the national criminal justice reform campaign of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, will appear on a panel at the Road to Majority Conference in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, June 20, 2015 to offer insights on much-needed criminal justice reform at the state and federal levels.
Press Release June 18, 2015The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Kathleen Hartnett White, Distinguished Senior Fellow-in-Residence and Director of the Armstrong Center for Energy and the Environment, will participate in a panel on Energy Realities at the Heartland Institute’s Tenth Annual International Conference on Climate Change in Washington, DC. White will discuss the economic impacts of federal climate policy.
Press Release June 11, 2015The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for the American Future Director Robert Henneke issued the following statement on the U.S. Senate Bill 1140, which was passed today by the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The bill, also known as the Federal Water Quality Protection Act, directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue a revised “Waters of the United States” rule that protects traditional navigable water and wetlands, and protects farmers, ranchers, and private landowners.
Press Release June 10, 2015Today, the City of Austin’s Zero Waste Advisory Commission is set to be briefed on a new report reviewing the city’s ban on single-use plastic bags. The report, Environmental Effects of the Single Use Bag Ordinance in Austin, Texas, reveals that Austin’s plastic bag ban has failed to live up to expectations, has lost public appeal, and may result in even more radical reforms, such as banning reusable bags.
Press Release June 10, 2015Texas Public Policy Foundation and The Texas Tech Institute for the Study of Western Civilization will host a Western Civilization Summit TOMORROW, Tuesday, June 9, at 8:00 a.m. in the Joe B. Hogsett Theater at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Panelists will discuss the teaching of American history at American institutions of higher education.
Press Release June 8, 2015Texas Public Policy Foundation and The Texas Tech Institute for the Study of Western Civilization will host a Western Civilization Summit on Tuesday, June 9, at 9:00 a.m. in the Joe B. Hogsett Theater at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Panelists will discuss the teaching of American history at American institutions of higher education.
Press Release June 5, 2015The Texas Public Policy Foundation will host a policy primer on the Outcomes of the 84th Legislative Session TODAY, Friday, June 5, at 11:30 a.m. at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. The Policy Primer is the first in a series of Traveling Primers on the Outcomes of the 84th Texas Legislative Session, and will be followed by events in Houston, Midland, and Austin in coming weeks.
Press Release June 5, 2015Earlier today, the Dallas City Council overwhelmingly voted to repeal its ordinance establishing a 5-cent fee on single-use bags. Beginning next week, stores and businesses will once again be able to freely provide consumers with single-use paper and plastic bags without government interference.
Press Release June 3, 2015The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Effective Justice Director Marc Levin will participate in a press conference on House Bill 48 TODAY, Monday June 1, at 3:00 p.m. or 30 minutes after the Texas House adjourns, in the Speaker’s Conference Room, room 2W.15 at the State Capitol. HB 48 creates a commission to review convictions after exoneration and aims to prevent wrongful conviction. Governor Abbott is expected to sign the legislation into law today.
Press Release June 1, 2015On the closing days of the 84th session, the House and the Senate overwhelmingly adopted the Conference Report on HB 1396, which codifies the rule of lenity, a long held canon of statutory interpretation that instructs a judge, as a matter of law, to interpret objective ambiguities in criminal law in favor of the defendant. HB 1396 also creates a commission to study potentially unnecessary criminal penalties for activities not traditionally criminalized; codifies the recent U.S. Supreme Court case, Riley v. California, which states that law enforcement must obtain a warrant in order to access a telephone; places theft value thresholds in line with modern-day inflation values; and provides docket preference to cases where the victim is under the age of 14.
Press Release June 1, 2015Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Effective Justice Director Marc Levin and Senior Policy Analyst Derek Cohen issued the following statements on the Texas Legislature’s passage of House Bill 2398.
Press Release May 30, 2015The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Director of the Center for Effective Justice, Marc Levin, issued the following statement concerning SB 1630, which aims to reform the juvenile justice system by increasing accountability and helping to keep youth out of the adult corrections system. The amendment is the subject of negotiations between the House and Senate on an amendment to raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction.
Press Release May 30, 2015