Texas Politics Sites

Mrs. Eberly fires off cannon

Texas Politics

For additional resources see also the Political Science discipline page.

Texas Veterans Loans Program – http://www.glo.state.tx.us/vlb/index.html

Texas State Veterans Home Program – http://www.glo.state.tx.us/vlb/vethomes/index.html

The Texas Constitution is a marvel of inefficiency. Feel free to browse through what is probably one of the longest and most confusing constitutions in the world. Don't try to print it though: you don't have enough paper! The Texas Legislative Reference Library at www.lrl.state.tx.us can give you summaries of constitutional amendments.

Texas Where We Stand: Comparative Facts and Figures about the Lone Star State

The website of the Texas Legislature can take you to both the House and the Senate. If the legislature is in session, you can trace a House or Senate bill from its introduction. For information, start with www.capitol.state.tx.us

The Handbook of Texas Online is produced by the Texas State Historical Association. The site provides summaries of the events and persons of Texas history and politics.

In a representative system is it important for citizens to know who is making decision on their behalf. Yet a majority of citizens do not know the names of their representatives. This is your opportunity to enter the elect minority of U.S. citizens who do know. Locate the name of your representatives at the state level at Vote Smart on the web (www.vote-smart.org).

The Texas Governor has his own web page even though he has very little power in state government. Check out the page. Betcha it's a lot more impressive than the office itself!

Texas has numerous local and state courts. The Texas Judiciary Online site for Texas state courts allows people to research Texas judicial opinions and actions. Surf the web to find individual courts within the state system. To have a look at the state Supreme Court, though, visit a most interesting web site.

Even the Texas Department of Corrections and Justice has a web site. Visit it to get an idea of what one of the largest prison systems in the world is like.

The Texas Education Agency can be found at http://www.tea.state.tx.us

The latest interpretations and implementations of the new Texas public teacher certification program can be found at www.sbec.state.tx.us.

For information on the Texas Youth Commission, go to www.tyc.state.tx.us.

To find out the basics on the Texas property tax go to http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/proptax/tx96_295/basics.html

Read the Comptroller’s description on how to appeal your property taxes at http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/proptax/tx96_295_00/appeal00.html

Visit the Window on State Government at www.window.state.tx.us for information on the state’s economy. This site has the Comptroller's Research Reports, Fiscal Notes, Economic Reports, Education Reports, Performance Reviews, and Economic Updates.

U.S. Census data on Texas

Two of the most important regulatory agencies in Texas - some would say in the country - are the Public Utility Commission and the Texas Railroad Commission. Check out their web sites.

Texas is one of the few states that actually reviews its agencies periodically under the state Sunset Act. Visit the web site of the state Sunset Commission.

Finally, no look at state government would be complete without looking at local governments in Texas. If your town - or one of interest to you - has a web site, you can access it through the Cities web page. You can get information on your county at the web site for the Texas Association of Counties.

As you would expect in a state the size of Texas, almost every interest group in the country has a Texas branch. Here are a few that may be of interest to you. If you don't see the one you want, try going to its national page and looking for state links.

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

The Texas Trial Lawyers Association is charged with protecting consumers. The TTLA is your resource for legislative information and politics.

The Texas Classroom Teachers Association is a nonprofit, nonunion professional education association, founded in 1927 as the only Texas education association devoted exclusively to the needs of classroom teachers and other professional, nonadministrative education personnel.

The Texas Cattle Feeders Association, headquartered in Amarillo, represents cattle feeders in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. TCFA works on behalf of its members in many ways including: state and national legislation, regulatory liaison with state and national regulatory bodies, up-to-the-minute computerized market information, seminars and meetings, an insurance and safety program that features the only full-time safety specialist in the cattle industry, and industry promotion and research.

The Texas Association of School Boards can be found at http://www.tasb.org/

The Texas section of the American Civil Liberties Union can be found at http://www.aclutx.org.

If you are interested in interest groups in Texas, you need to become familiar with the state agency that regulates them. The Texas Ethics Commission serves as a repository of required disclosure statements for state officials, candidates, political committees, and lobbyists and, consequently, serves as a clearinghouse of information for public and press inquiries.

In addition to the two major parties, the Republicans and the Democrats, Texas has a myriad of smaller political parties. I've listed a few of the better known here. Almost any party you're looking for will have a web page, though.

The Libertarian Party defends the rights of individuals to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the same rights of others. Libertarians hold that governments must not violate individual rights. They oppose all interference by government in the areas of voluntary and contractual relations among individuals. Finally, they support a free market system.

The Texas Democratic Party and the Republican Party of Texas both have fairly sophisticated web sites which not only lay out their own positions, but also criticize the positions of the opposition. Check them out!

Finally, check out Project Vote Smart. They have a wealth of facts on your political leaders, including biographies and addresses, issue positions, voting records, campaign finances, and evaluations by special interests.

The media play a major role in Texas politics. Listed here are a number of state media outlets that have web sites. My list is by no means exhaustive. Surf around and see if you can find some of your own.

The Dallas Morning News

The Austin-American Statesman

The Houston Chronicle