The decision to limit certification to companies owned by disabled veterans will shrink the Historically Underutilized Business program from more than 15,000 to 485 participants — all men.
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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2025 Legislative Recap
Running water will finally reach West Odessa thanks to $17 million from state lawmakers
The Legislature approved $600 million for standalone water improvements, a dramatic increase over prior years.
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State Government
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick proposes giving Texas newborns $1,000 each
Patrick’s proposal would be in addition to a federal program that is set to give American babies $1,000 each to invest in the stock market.
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Demographics
Michael and Susan Dell donate $6.25 billion to encourage families to claim “Trump Accounts”
The Texas billionaires want to incentivize parents to claim investment accounts created under President Donald Trump’s tax and spending legislation.
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Economy
In Houston, young mothers face some of the highest barriers for college and work in the U.S.
At 13.3%, Houston has the worst rate of young adults who are neither working nor in school of the largest metro areas in the country.
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Health care
Even as SNAP resumes, new federal work rules threaten access for some Texans
Under new requirements, “able-bodied” recipients could lose access to benefits for three years if they go three months without documenting working hours.
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2025 Legislative Recap
Texas hoped $100 million would help more families pay for child care. Here’s why it didn’t.
Increased costs in food and payroll at child care centers effectively wiped out the one-time investment state lawmakers approved earlier this year, a new report found.
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State Government
A slate of new Texas laws go into effect December and January. Here’s what to watch.
Laws include restricting transgender people’s access to public bathrooms, allowing lawsuits against abortion pill providers, and replacement of the STAAR test.
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Economy
Proposed data center project for Waco area would be “paradigm-changer”
The project is at a scale of industrial development and investment unmatched in McLennan County’s history: acres of computer hardware, substations and a 1.2-gigawatt gas-fired plant capable of powering about 300,000 homes.
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Economy
Texas is getting far less in federal money for broadband expansion than expected
Rural leaders who have worked years to improve broadband access said they were disappointed by the sharp decrease in federal dollars.