On November 4, Texans will vote on Proposition 14, which would create the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and transfer $3 billion from the state’s general revenue into a new government-controlled research fund. While the amendment sounds compassionate, it comes with a costly catch: it doesn’t reduce any existing state spending.

Instead, this amendment adds billions in new obligations on top of what Texans already fund. That means more government, more bureaucracy, and ultimately, a heavier tax burden in the years ahead. When the state takes $3 billion off the top without offsetting cuts, the Legislature will simply raise taxes elsewhere or pile on more debt. Either way, Texans lose.

Texans care deeply about fighting dementia and related diseases. But these important causes are already being advanced by private research institutions, charities, and voluntary partnerships without coercion or forced taxation. If government insists on new spending, it should at least cut existing spending elsewhere. Proposition 14 does neither.

By locking billions into a new program while leaving all other state spending untouched, Proposition 14 guarantees that taxpayers will shoulder a growing burden in the years ahead.

On November 4, say no to unfunded promises and higher taxes. Vote NO on Proposition 14.