The latest economy news from The Texas Tribune.
Wal-Mart is allowed to sell beer and wine at 546 Texas stores, but state law keeps it from selling hard liquor. On Thursday, the company filed a federal lawsuit challenging that rule in the interest of a "fair and level playing field." Full Story
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At our 2/12 conversation, state Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, talked about the prospect of property and business tax relief. Full Story
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At our 2/12 conversation, state Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, talked about the need to fix the state's method of school finance. Full Story
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At our 2/12 conversation, state Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, explained why the House's lower proposed allocation for border security funding is more conservative than the Senate's. Full Story
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Nearly two weeks after the House's base budget was released, Senate Finance Chairwoman Jane Nelson presented the Senate's plan, which she said sets aside $3 billion for "meaningful" property tax relief for Texas homeowners. Full Story
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At our 1/27 conversation, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick talked about the possibility of tax relief as a component of the budget that will be passed by the 84th Legislature. Full Story
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With other state incentive programs under attack for favoritism and weak oversight, one that seems to be working famously might get caught in the crossfire. Film industry supporters hope it survives. Full Story
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House Speaker Joe Straus said the House's base budget plan, released Thursday, holds "spending in check while addressing some very important challenges related to our rapid growth." The Senate's base budget is expected to come out next week. Full Story
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State Rep. John Otto wants a constitutional amendment requiring that excess cash in the state's Rainy Day Fund be used to pay off state debt early. Full Story
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Entrepreneur Elon Musk said Thursday that Texas is in the driver's seat for a test track for a transportation system known as the Hyperloop. He also said that a SpaceX facility wouldn't have been built in Texas without economic incentives. Full Story
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Prospects for Democrats in Texas might seem grim at the moment, but from his Washington perch, U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey thinks things will turn his party's way. Eventually. Full Story
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At our 1/14 conversation, new state Reps. Celia Israel, D-Austin, Linda Koop, R-Dallas, and Matt Rinaldi, R-Irving, talked about the comptroller's revenue estimate and how they'll approach the task of passing a budget. Full Story
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Announcing a two-year revenue estimate that reflects "uncertainties in oil prices and the possibilities of a slowing global economy," Comptroller Glenn Hegar said Monday that lawmakers will have $113 billion to divvy up in the next two-year budget. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry joked about his "oops" moment when asked Friday for the first three things he would do as president to strengthen the U.S. economy. Full Story
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More than 100 firms have benefited from the Texas Enterprise Fund, the economic incentive program championed by Gov. Rick Perry to lure more jobs to Texas. Aman Batheja writes that Perry's office has nicknamed the fund “the deal closer,” but critics have a different name for it: slush fund. Full Story
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Thirty years is a lot to attribute to mere luck. Like Rick Perry or not, his considerable political skills have sustained him throughout his career in state politics. Full Story
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Boiling down Gov. Rick Perry’s legacy into a few bullet points isn’t easy. But reporters Reeve Hamilton and Jay Root look at some things people will surely remember years after Perry has left office. Their feature kicks off our 10-part series, The Perry Legacy. Full Story
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When an out-of-state retailer doesn't add Texas sales and use taxes to your bill, it's not because no taxes are owed — and it's not because the retailer is doing something illegal. Texas consumers fail to pay almost $1.8 billion annually. Full Story
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Here's video of our 84th Legislature preview session on the budget debate. Panelists included state Sens. Judith Zaffirini and Kel Seliger and state Reps. Drew Darby and Donna Howard. Full Story
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Depending on your political leanings, the spending cap state lawmakers set this week was either too low, too high or just right. Regardless, the arcane measure could effectively block lawmakers from accessing billions of dollars in state revenue. Full Story
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