The Legislature gave voters what they said they wanted last year: big budget cuts in lieu of tax increases. Now it’s election time again, and the question is: Are they pleased with the budget cuts they got?
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
At Port of Houston, Jobs Debate Centers on Trucking Limits
At the Port of Houston, which supports hundreds of thousands of Texas jobs, business leaders say outdated trucking regulations hurt their business. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, changing those rules would require legislative action.
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Economy
Budget Battles Still Ahead for Legislature
The state Legislature heads back to work in less than a year. And as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, the state’s improving economy won’t likely save legislators from the protracted budget battle that awaits them.
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Inside Intelligence
Inside Intelligence: Trying to Catch On
The insiders think Ron Paul’s biggest obstacle is Ron Paul, are pessimistic about Texas Democrats, and predict Democratic primaries focused on education and Republican primaries focused on spending and taxes.
Posted inDemographics, Economy, Health care
Interactive: Who Are the Uninsured in Texas?
There were 5.7 million Texans — nearly a quarter of the population — who lacked health insurance in 2010, according to the latest American Community Survey data. This visualization shows you who the uninsured are in Texas. It’s not always who you’d expect.
Posted inEconomy
Interactive: Texas Economy by Region, December 2011
The unemployment rate in Texas dropped significantly at the end of 2011. Check out the annual industry changes in Texas’ major metropolitan areas and the unemployment rate in each county with this updated interactive map.
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Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Root on the end of Rick Perry’s presidential campaign, Murphy on what happens to his campaign cash, Ramsey on his next act, Ramshaw, Aaronson, Murphy, Chang and Seger interactively chart the rise and fall of his run, Aguilar talks Juárez violence with a documentary filmmaker, Galbraith on the tug-of-war over surface water, Grissom and Murphy on three decades of capital punishment in Texas, Hamilton and Aaronson on our workforce needs in 2018 and Tan on the state’s much-reduced list of women’s health clinics: The best of our best content from January 16-20, 2012.
Posted in
Economy
Texas Economy Improving; Unemployment Rate Low
Texas’ unemployment rate — 7.8 percent — is the lowest it’s been since July 2009, when the recession was just heating up, according to employment statistics released by the Texas Workforce Commission today.
Posted inEconomy, Higher Education
State Employment Continues to Shrink
Texas cut nearly 8,000 state jobs over the last year, according to a new report from the state auditor’s office. Use this interactive to compare how the $15 billion in cuts passed by lawmakers in the last session has affected state-funded organizations within each article of the budget.
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Economy
Texas Tech Companies Oppose Anti-Piracy Bill
Online piracy is hurting the nation’s economy and putting lives at risk, says U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith. He wrote the Stop Online Piracy Act to address the problem, but his bill has gotten the cold shoulder in his home state.
