S1E21: Every Texan Talks HB5 Corporate Welfare, we mean, Corporate Tax Abatement Program

For twenty years, Texas had a program – known as Chapter 313 –  that let wealthy corporations avoid paying what they owed to support our schools. These companies got to keep $31 billion that would have otherwise gone to help our children. The program, which was never shown to work, finally expired last year, but House Speaker Phelan is trying to bring it back this session through HB 5. The bill would exclude renewable energy projects from the program, be more expensive than Chapter 313, create fewer jobs, entirely lack wage and benefit requirements, weaken transparency/accountability provisions and, most importantly, lack a sunset date that would force periodic review of the new program by future Legislatures. Senior Policy Analyst explains why the bill is like Ch. 313, only worse. More analysis here, take action this week to fight back!