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.
Economy
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Video: A Conversation With Sylvester Turner
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.
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Economy
House Passes $4.9B Tax Cut Plan That Includes Sales Tax Cut
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.
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Economy
Video: Seliger and Zerwas on Tuition Revenue Bonds
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.
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Economy
Business Groups Offer Support for House Sales Tax Cut Plan
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.
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Economy
Uber, Lyft Back in House Headlights
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.
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Economy
Unable to Tighten Spending Cap, Senate Built a New One
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.
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Economy
Senate OKs Bill That Would Tighten Spending Cap
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.
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Economy
Sponsor Softens Divisive Bill on Property Tax Rates
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.
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Economy
Background Checks Drive Uber Debate
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.