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When lawmakers convene in Austin, the biggest financial influence on them shifts from campaign contributions to lobbying. And taxpayers are footing the bill for a lot of it. Background: During the Texas legislative session, state law prohibits campaign contributions to legislators. This law is designed to prevent donors and PACs from currying favor with legislators …

Cries for “Campaign Finance Reform” come from both sides of the political aisle. It’s popular for candidates and interest groups to claim that we need to “get money out of politics” — and that limiting the amount of money citizens can donate to politicians and political causes is the way to do it. But is …

A big part of our mission at Transparency USA is to help citizens understand how money in politics really works. To that end, we are starting a new series exposing some of the most popular myths surrounding money in politics. A 2018 poll by the Pew Research Center reported that 77 percent of Americans believe …

Yesterday Governor Greg Abbott delivered the 2019 State of the State Address. Like the convening of the Texas legislature, the State of the State Address is a bi-annual affair. The governor traditionally delivers the speech near the beginning of the legislative session to laud the accomplishments of his administration, to promote his political and legislative priorities, and …

At Transparency Texas, our mission is to make it easy for you to understand the money in Texas politics. Political insiders love to throw around high-dollar amounts and political jargon to muddy the water for voters. We provide you with the tools and context you need to interpret the numbers for yourself. A couple of …