Taxpayers do not voluntarily send their money to government — taxes are compulsory. When those funds are then used to influence legislation, citizens are effectively compelled to support political activity they may oppose. This raises a basic free speech concern: Compelled speech is fundamentally different from voluntary political participation. Individuals should never be forced to subsidize advocacy that runs counter to their beliefs or interests.

Eight blue states already have or are considering raising income or wealth taxes. HOTLINE readers asked us which ones. Here’s a list: Washington, Rhode Island, New York, California, Virginia, Michigan, New Jersey and Maryland. We expect some to pass and others to be defeated. Most of the proposals come from liberals who campaigned as pro-business moderates.

Governor Greg Abbott today announced that a Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF) grant of $700,000 has been extended to The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) for a training cleanroom project on their campus in Dallas. The project includes equipment to teach participants about basic cleanroom operations, safety, and processing, offering hands-on experience that will support the growth of a vital semiconductor workforce for the region.

Harmony Public Schools-Central Texas proudly announces that Harmony School of Endeavor's Mrs. Malalai Sayedi, Science Department Chair and district PLC leader, has been selected as a Quality Reviewer for the Texas Education Agency’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Instructional Materials Review and Approval process. Mrs. Sayedi received official notice of her selection following a competitive, multi-stage review process that included interviews and performance-based tasks.

The Left and some on the Right went crazy over President Donald Trump's recent tweet. He warned that if the Iranian regime did not cease blocking the international Strait of Hormuz, he would hit its dual military-civilian infrastructure. He promised that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again." He obviously meant that the murderous civilization/culture of radical Iranian theocratic Islam would cease to exist and won't come back, once its power plants and transportation systems central to the regime were cut off.

“School choice is about freedom. It's about the freedom of parents being able to choose the best education pathway for their child. We passed school choice. I consider this to be a victory dinner for everybody in this room, people outside of this room, and for the warriors who helped get school choice across the finish line. More importantly, it is a victory dinner for all the parents out there." 

Thanks to Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, starting next year, every taxpayer will be able to donate up to $1700 to a scholarship granting organization and claim a dollar-for-dollar credit on their federal taxes. But the scholarships can only be issued to students in states where the governor opts in. They are so attached at the hip to the teacher unions that they reject the free dollars. So far, the only exception is Colorado Governor Jared Polis. Amazing.

Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock reminds business owners that April 15 is the deadline to file property tax renditions with their county appraisal districts. Different deadlines apply for certain regulated property. A rendition allows property owners to record their opinion of their property’s value and ensures the appraisal district notifies property owners before changing a recorded value.

 Texas Land Commissioner & Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham has announced that the VLB's Veterans-Only Land Sale is now open for bidding. The sale includes three available tracts totaling 10.82 acres, and bidding closes on Thursday, April 16th at 5:00 p.m. A Veteran or Military Member whose bid is accepted may apply for a VLB Land Loan at a 7.25% interest rate, with a 30-year term and a minimum 5% down payment.

Iran has been the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror for decades. If we want to have fewer wars and a more peaceful, less dangerous world, a defanged Iranian regime is in everyone’s interest. Building on last summer's Operation Midnight Hammer, President Trump is serving America and the world with Operation Epic Fury, and he deserves our support. Mr. Trump understands that the way to win over a bully is not to give in.

On April 3, the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) celebrated a major milestone – marking 135 years of service as the state’s oldest regulatory agency. Since its founding in 1891, the Commission has guided Texas through many significant periods of change, from its initial role regulating a rapidly expanding Railroad System, to the oil boom of the early 20th Century, and, more recently, the shale boom of the 2000s.

Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D., issued a statewide CALL OUT for Veterans to contact the Texas General Land Office(GLO) to share their unique stories of service with the VLB through the GLO's Voices of Veterans Oral History Program. The GLO's Voices of Veterans Program records the stories of Texas Veterans through their time in service and after returning home from combat.

Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock today announced that more than 274,000 students applied for Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) during the program’s first year. The Comptroller’s office is currently working to verify students’ information before notifying families regarding awards later this month and distributing funds to student accounts in July. 

California’s education budget has grown into one of the largest public spending commitments in the United States, yet the relationship between funding and student outcomes remains weak, uneven, and increasingly difficult to defend. Over the past decade, state leaders have treated higher appropriations as a substitute for structural reform. That approach has produced a system where spending expands automatically, while accountability mechanisms remain largely unchanged.

Governor Greg Abbott today celebrated the strength and resilience of the Texas economy as the state gained 40,100 nonfarm jobs over the month of January and hit a new historic high of 14,379,500 total jobs. Last week, Governor Abbott participated in a fireside chat at the Forward Fort Worth mobility innovation summit where he touted Texas’ pro-business mindset that attracts job-creating corporate relocation and expansion projects across industries,

Last week, NASA’s Artemis II launch sent a message to the world that the United States will lead this era of space exploration. As Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, I’ve worked to advance the success of the Artemis II program by advancing the NASA reauthorization bill last month, empowering NASA to help return American astronauts to the Moon and carry out the President’s National Space Policy.

This past week, I witnessed the launch of Artemis II, a mission that will carry humans farther into deep space than ever before. Sunday, we celebrated the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is no coincidence that this extraordinary moment of exploration unfolded during Holy Week. NASA has centered this mission around a powerful motto, “for all humanity,” a phrase that echoes something far greater than any achievement here on earth.

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