In April, the Texas House approved a bill titled the “Texas Regulatory Consistency Act.” House Bill 2127 would preempt local regulations in seven “fields,” including occupations, natural resources, and labor. The bill states that “in recent years, several local jurisdictions have sought to establish their own regulations of commerce that are different than the state…
Writing for Reform Houston, Jef Rouner tries to use Florida as an example of what will happen in Texas if some form of school choice is implemented in the state. However, he learns the wrong lesson from Florida and implicitly admits that parents desire more control over their child’s education. He writes that, in Florida,…
A neighbor recently complained online that the homeowners’ association (HOA) was akin to North Korea. While it might be true that the HOA went a little overboard in its enthusiasm to enforce the deed restrictions, comparing it to North Korea is a gross evasion. HOAs and North Korea are nothing alike. North Korea is a…
In Texas, and across the nation, parents are objecting to the ideas that their children are being taught in government schools. This dissatisfaction is a significant reason why vouchers and education savings plans are growing in popularity. Such programs enable parents to more easily find schools that teach the ideas that they want their children…
One’s credit score determines one’s ability to obtain loans at favorable rates. Those with a higher credit score are deemed to pose fewer risks. Over time, they have demonstrated the ability to borrow judiciously and pay back their loans. Those with less stellar credit scores haven’t. But now, the Biden administration wants to punish those…
At the beginning of the pandemic, we were told to stay home, work safe, or else. Businesses had to adjust rapidly, and many learned that they don’t need extensive and expensive physical space to run a successful business. Many employers who sent their workers home are telling them to stay there. Or, in the case…
Progressive Regressive “journalist” Patrick Range McDonald informs us that renters paid a total of $512 billion to landlords in 2019. This, he wants us to believe, is evidence of “corporate landlord greed.” Certainly, that’s a lot of money. However, it proves nothing other than McDonald’s inability to consider the full context. In doing so, he…
The Washington, D.C. Rental Housing Commission recently approved a rent increase of 8.9 percent based on the rate of inflation. Many tenants and activists are upset about the increase, with one arguing that “landlords have been getting inflation plus 2% for years, so why hasn’t it been enough?” This same tenant asserted that her landlord…
In November 2021, voters in St. Paul approved one of the nation’s most stringent rent control laws. The law was later amended to loosen the controls slightly. However, that did little to motivate the construction of new housing. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reports that building permits in St. Paul fell…
In November 2021, voters in Minneapolis asked city leaders to explore the implementation of rent control. Last week, a city staff report was released. The report recommended against the 3 percent cap on rent increases that a group of landlords and tenants had suggested. The report concludes that the cost to the city from imposing…
Few people deny that America has a severe shortage of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households. While there is agreement that a problem exists, there is little agreement about a remedy. Government officials at every level, along with housing advocates, frequently put forth a variety of policy proposals in an attempt to address the…
Rent control hasn’t even taken effect in Boston, and already the consequences of rent control are being felt. Banker and Tradesman reports that building permits in Boston declined 94 percent between 2021 and 2022. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and others have claimed that rent control will not lead to less new housing construction, despite what…