Shifted Risk from Private Sector to Taxpayers and Invites Favoritism: House of Bad Cards

The government really loves the smell of new commissions and committees in the morning.

The Texas Quantum Initiative would use public funding and state-directed coordination, which is almost always a sure-fire mechanism for government expansion into areas it probably shouldn't go. And it creates a new committee/commission:

Sec. 481.684. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE COMPOSITION.
(a) The initiative is governed by an executive committee composed of the following members:
   (1) three members appointed by the Governor;
   (2) two members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor; and
   (3) two members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The use of taxpayer dollars to "incentivize" specific industries - no matter how innovative - sets a precedent for economic favoritism and market distortion. It invites government to play an outsized role in directing private-sector investment priorities, which could lead to inefficiencies, politicization, or unintended long-term dependencies. There is also no performance-based sunset provision or opt-out mechanism if the initiative fails to produce a measurable return on investment.

GOP Platform Conflict: Principle 9 opposes government subsidies; Plank 78 opposes corporate welfare; Plank 62 emphasizes fiscal responsibility.

RV#1614: Yea 94 (R 50, D 44) - Nay 21 (R 20, D 1)
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Yea - Alders; Allen; Anchia; Ashby; Barry; Bell, C.; Bhojani; Bonnen; Bowers; Buckley; Bumgarner; Campos; Capriglione; Cole; Collier; Cook; Craddick; Darby; Davis, Y.; Dean; DeAyala; Dutton; Fairly; Flores; Gamez; Garcia, J.; Gerdes; Geren; Gervin-Hawkins; Gonzalez, J.; Goodwin; Guillen; Harless; Harris Davila; Hayes; Hernandez; Hickland; Hinojosa; Howard; Hull; Hunter; Isaac; Jones, J.; Jones, V.; Kerwin; King; Kitzman; LaHood; Lalani; Lambert; Landgraf; Longoria; Lopez, J.; Lopez, R.; Louderback; Lozano; Manuel; Martinez; Martinez Fischer; Metcalf; Meyer; Morales Shaw; Morales, C.; Munoz; Noble; Oliverson; Ordaz; Paul; Perez, M.; Perez, V.; Plesa; Raymond; Reynolds; Rodriguez Ramos; Romero; Rose; Schofield; Shaheen; Simmons; Slawson; Smithee; Spiller; Swanson; Tepper; Thompson; Troxclair; Turner; VanDeaver; Villalobos; Walle; Ward Johnson; Wharton; Wilson; Zweiner

Nay - Cain; Canales; Dorazio; Harrison; Holt; Hopper; Leo Wilson; Little; Lowe; Luther; McLaughlin; Money; Olcott; Patterson; Pierson; Richardson; Schoolcraft; Shofner; Tinderholt; Vasut; Virdell

Absent - Bell, K.; Bernal; Bryant; Bucy; Button; Cortez; Cunningham; Curry; Davis, A.; Dyson; Frank; Garcia Hernandez; Garcia, L.; Gates; Gonzalez, M.; Guerra; Harris; Hefner; Johnson; Leach; Lujan; McQueeney; Meza; Moody; Morales, E.; Morgan; Phelan; Rosenthal; Schatzline; Talarico; Toth; Vo; Wu

Present, Not Voting - Burrows

(Bill summary provided in part by Texas Policy Research)