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.
Economy
Get the latest on jobs, business, growth, and policy shaping the state’s economy with in-depth reporting from The Texas Tribune.
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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.
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Economy
Sales Tax Cut a Key Piece in Bonnen’s $4.9 Billion Tax Cut Plan
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.
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Economy
House Democrats Push Minimum Wage Hike
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.
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Economy
Bid for Rainy Day Fund Changes Moves Forward
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.
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Economy
Video: Nichols and Pickett on Road Funding
At our 4/7 conversation, state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso — the chairmen, respectively, of the Senate and House Transportation Committees — talked about their preferred methods of transportation funding.
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Economy
House Bill Would Untangle Hair Braiding Rules
For nearly two decades, the state of Texas has been trying to shut down Isis Brantley’s hair braiding business. Prodded by a federal court, state lawmakers are now considering exempting hair braiders from regulation and leaving Brantley alone.
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State Government
The Tribune’s Local Debt Explorer Gets an Update
Use our Local Debt Explorer to find out how much tax-supported debt is held by your city, county and school district. The data is collected by the Texas Bond Review Board and reflects each entity’s debt load as of August 2014.
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Economy
House OKs Two-Year Budget, Approves Boost to Current One
After an 18-hour marathon Tuesday night to sign off on a $210 billion two-year state budget, lawmakers were back in the Texas House on Wednesday afternoon for a bit of unfinished business: plugging holes in the current budget.