Nonprofit establishments improve lives, communities, and society as a whole. These entities offer a variety of services and include hospitals and other health care providers, schools and universities, art museums, and many other types of operations. Not only do these organizations provide important services that enhance quality of life and societal wellbeing; they also generate substantial economic benefits through their operations and the associated multiple rounds of activity through the economy.
Lawmakers don't have to take up school funding after the Robin Hood formula was declared constitutional, but Dr. Perryman says essentially local property taxes have become a substitute for state revenue.
One issue that is shaping up to be a major focus of the next legislative session is school choice. Texas came close to passing a bill last legislative session that would have made up to $100 million in tax credits available annually for businesses donating to scholarship funds, but while the legislation passed in the Senate last year, it failed to reach a vote in the House. For the upcoming season, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has vowed to pass an even better tax credit scholarship program along with other school choice legislation.