The fight over Amazon’s taxes isn’t just about the giant online retailer. State officials say Texas is losing $600 million annually on taxable items purchased online. And as they work to close a budget gap of up to $27 billion, they’re chasing every penny.
Austin
Posted in
Energy
Senators Express Incredulity at Rolling Blackouts Hearing
At a state Senate hearing this morning on Texas’s rolling blackouts earlier this month, ERCOT released the first list — albeit a very partial one — of power plants that failed during the Feb. 2 crisis.
Posted in
Energy
For Power Grid Operator, the Reckoning Begins
The Texas electric grid operator is facing questions on a range of fronts, including its policy of not disclosing information about the power grid’s day-to-day operations and its inability to ensure adequate weatherization of power plants.
Posted in
Guides
Texplainer: Can the Lege Overrule Perry on Education Money?
Gov. Rick Perry has said he can’t sign an application to receive $10 billion in federal education aid because it requires an assurance he cannot constitutionally make: that the Lege will not use the money to offset state funding of public education.
Posted in
State Government
Budget Cuts Trickle Down to Local Governments
One lawmaker has proposed a constitutional amendment blocking lawmakers from passing so-called unfunded mandates on to local governments. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, with billions of dollars set to be slashed from the state budget local agencies worry the costs will come anyway.
Posted in
Economy
Budget Cuts Trickle Down to Local Governments
One lawmaker has proposed a constitutional amendment blocking lawmakers from passing so-called unfunded mandates on to local governments. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, cities and counties worry the costs will come anyway.
Posted in
State Government
Howard Wins HD-48 Seat, Hartnett Says
Rep. Donna Howard won the HD-48 seat by four votes over Republican Dan Neil, according to state Rep. Will Hartnett, R-Dallas. Hartnett was appointed to investigate their election after Neil challenged the results.
Posted in
Economy
The Governor’s Symbolic Cuts and His Real Ones
The proposed budget cuts Gov. Rick Perry laid out in his State of the State speech are more symbolic than lucrative and trivialize the cuts that are being made elsewhere in state services and programs.
Posted in
Guides
Texplainer: Will My Electricity Bill Go Up Because of the Blackouts?
Lots of Texans are asking that question in the wake of last week’s electricity mess, and nobody’s going to be happy with the answer, which is: “It depends” (if you ask the electricity industry); or “Yes” (if you ask consumer advocates).
Posted in
Public Education
David Dunn: The TT Interview
The executive director of the Texas Charter Schools Association talks with The Texas Tribune about how cuts in education funding will hit charter schools hardest, and how they can partner with traditional public school districts in “win-win”arrangements — like sharing facilities.
