Explainers
Texas Policy Research produces explainers to make state government understandable to the people it serves. From how a bill becomes law to where your property tax dollars go, these guides break down the institutions, processes, and policy debates shaping Texas — so you can engage from a position of knowledge, not guesswork. Browse the library by category below.
The Library at a Glance
Explainer — Legislative
How the Texas Legislature is built and how it behaves — from first-day orientation to the data on its performance.
Orientation and process: how an idea becomes law in Texas.
- A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding the Texas Legislature
- The First Days of a Texas Legislative Session: What to Expect
- The Slow Start: Why Texas Lawmakers Can’t Consider Most Bills at the Beginning of Session
- The Committee Process in the Texas Legislature: A Comprehensive Guide
- A Comprehensive Guide to Legislative Calendars in the Texas Legislature
- Interim Charges Explained in the Texas Legislature
Who holds influence in the Capitol, and how it is won and kept.
Following the money — and the bodies charged with watching it.
- Texas Budget Riders: A Key Component of the State Budget Process
- Understanding the ‘Put and Take’ Rule in the Texas House of Representatives Budget Process
- Understanding the Texas Legislative Budget Board
- Understanding the Sunset Advisory Commission in Texas
- Did the DOGE Committee Deliver on Efficiency? A Deep Dive into New Texas Spending
What the numbers reveal about how the Legislature actually performs.
Time-bound looks at specific sessions and the agendas that defined them.
Explainer — Executive
The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, state agencies, and the executive branch of Texas government.
Explainers in this category are on the way. As Texas Policy Research publishes guides on the executive branch — the Governor’s powers, the Lieutenant Governor’s role, state agencies, and the appointments process — they will appear here.
Explainer — Judicial
Texas courts and the justice system. A small category for now, left unsubdivided until it has the volume to warrant topics of its own.
The structure of the Texas court system and the state’s use of the death penalty.
Explainer — Policy
The issues themselves — taxes, schools, surveillance, technology, markets, and the structure of state government.
Property taxes, the long-run trend, and how Texas compares.
How schools are funded, rated, and reformed — and where the money goes.
- How Texas School Finance Works
- Texas Finally Releases School Ratings for 2024 and 2025: What the Data Really Shows
- How School Choice Programs Can Save Texas Billions: A Fiscal Analysis
- School Vouchers vs. Education Savings Accounts: Key Differences Explained
- Understanding Recapture in Texas Public School Finance
- Debunking the Myth: The Real Story of Texas School Funding
- Public Service at Severe Public Expense (Superintendent Salaries)
Government data, monitoring, and the rights of the individual.
- Mass Surveillance in Texas: The Hidden Dangers of License Plate Tracking
- Texas DPS Surveillance: Unchecked Overreach and the Threat to Civil Liberties
- Decision on Geofence Warrants: A Critical Blow to Mass Surveillance
- Civil Asset Forfeiture in Texas: An Overview
- The Right to Be Forgotten: Its Applicability to Texas
Emerging technology and the rules being written for it.
Markets, licensing, and government’s thumb on the scale.
- Texas Stock Exchange: Challenging Wall Street
- Texas: Among the Worst States for Occupational Licensing
- The Case for Banning Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying in Texas
- The Evolution of Corporate Welfare in Texas
- Navigating Connectivity: Rural Broadband and the Lack of a Free Enterprise Approach
- Protecting Texas LNG: Key Legislative Findings and Future Recommendations
- The Push for Casino Gambling and Sports Betting in Texas: Key Legislation and Debate
Amendments, party platforms, and the structure of state government.
Standalone topics that don’t yet form a cluster of their own.
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