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.
Economy
Get the latest on jobs, business, growth, and policy shaping the state’s economy with in-depth reporting from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Economy
Analysis: Skill or Luck, It Has Worked for Perry
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.
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Demographics, Economy, Immigration, Politics, State Government
Five — and a Half — Things We Won’t Forget About Gov. Rick Perry
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.
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Economy
Analysis: Who Actually Owes State Sales Tax? Hint: It’s Not Retailers
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.
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Economy
Video: The Battle over the Budget in the 84th Session
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.
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Economy
Tighter Spending Cap Could Keep Billions Out of State’s Next Budget
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.
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Economy
Fracking a “Nuisance,” Denton Tells Court
The first city in Texas to ban hydraulic fracturing tells a court it has every right to do so, calling the oil and gas extraction technique a “public nuisance” with “offensive results.”
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Economy
Officials Adopt Spending Cap for Next Budget
State leaders including Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus have voted to set the state growth rate for the next two years at 11.68 percent, a move that will impact the budget lawmakers write in next year’s session.
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Economy
Analysis: A Dry Number That Carries a Potent Political Charge
Lawmakers this week will choose a number — a projected growth limit for the state government — that will frame their budget battles throughout the coming legislative session.
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Economy
Politics of Climate Change in Texas Have Shifted
Texas leaders weren’t always so skeptical about climate change. But the state’s rightward shift, coupled with a booming oil and gas economy, have changed the tenor of the debate. This story was produced in collaboration with The World.
