The latest economy news from The Texas Tribune.
Despite warning that powdered alcohol could lead to a spike in underage drinking that would “make the darkest days of the Four Loko era look tame,” a lawmaker on Wednesday pulled back his measure to outlaw the product in Texas. Full Story
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At our 5/1 conversation, Julián Castro, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, talked about the lessons of Baltimore — and how to prevent the next Baltimore. Full Story
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Full video of my 5/1 conversation with Julián Castro, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Full Story
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State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, managed to add an amendment to a bill Thursday that would make it more difficult for some local entities to raise property taxes. Full Story
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At our 4/30 conversation, state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and a candidate for Houston mayor, talked about the work of the budget conference committee. Full Story
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At our 4/30 conversation, state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, explained why he's running for Houston mayor and what he would do if elected. Full Story
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A Texas House committee on Thursday considered a pair of bills taking aim at the state film incentives program. One would block state grants for films and video games containing adult content. Another would abolish the program altogether. Full Story
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At our 4/30 conversation, state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and a candidate for Houston mayor, talked about the events this week in Baltimore — and the takeaways for other big cities. Full Story
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Full video of my 4/30 conversation with state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and a candidate for Houston mayor. Full Story
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The Texas House tentatively approved a $4.9 billion tax relief plan Tuesday that includes a cut to the state’s sales tax, marking a clear line in the sand against the Senate, which favors property tax cuts. Full Story
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At our 4/16 conversation, state Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, and state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond — the chairmen, respectively, of the Senate and House Higher Education committees — talked about the need for new building projects on public university campuses. Full Story
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The House Ways and Means Committee heard mostly praise for Chairman Dennis Bonnen's plan to cut the state's sales tax and the business margins tax. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the Senate remains committed to a property tax cut. Full Story
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Another round of sparring between Texas cities and car service companies Lyft and Uber played out on Tuesday, when a panel of Texas lawmakers considered letting cities regulate Lyft and Uber the same way they regulate cab companies. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Senate Republicans had hoped to amend the Texas Constitution to tighten the state's spending cap. Short of the needed votes, they passed a measure creating a new cap in state law instead. Full Story
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The Senate passed a bill Thursday that would tighten the state's constitutional spending cap and make it tougher for future legislatures to break it. Senate Bill 9, by Sen. Kelly Hancock, passed with a vote of 19-12. Full Story
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State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, wants to make cities and counties ask voters for permission to enact tax rates that allow overall property tax revenue from existing homes and businesses to rise more than 6 percent. Full Story
One week after an Uber driver in Houston was charged with sexually assaulting a passenger, a panel of Texas lawmakers on Thursday considered a bill critics say will open the door for more criminals to slip past driver background checks. Full Story
House Ways and Means Chairman Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, laid out a $4.9 billion tax cut plan Wednesday featuring cuts in sales taxes and business taxes. The Senate's plan cuts business taxes and property taxes. Full Story
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A handful of Democrats on Tuesday asked the House Business and Industry Committee to support a package of bills that would increase the minimum wage in Texas. Full Story
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The Texas House on Tuesday approved a resolution calling for a constitutional election over whether to send surplus dollars from the Rainy Day Fund into a new account to pay down state debt. Full Story
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