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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
Billions in property tax cuts need Texas voters’ approval before taking effect. Here’s what you need to know.
Legislation passed this month would raise the state’s homestead exemption to $100,000, lower schools’ tax rates and put an appraisal cap on residential and commercial properties, among other measures. But voters must approve a constitutional amendment first.
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Economy
Some child care providers expect to shutter after Texas lawmakers leave $2.3 billion proposal off final budget
Federal pandemic relief to hard-hit day care operators is drying up, forcing some providers to close.
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Economy
Texans in Congress take bipartisan path to boost semiconductors, a crucial industry to the state
Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz and Democrats like Rep. Colin Allred — opponents in the 2024 election — propose streamlining environmental reviews to promote investment and expansion by chipmakers.
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Economy
How an internship program hopes to end “brain drain” in Texas’ Permian Basin and other rural regions
This is the third year businesses in the Permian Basin — known for high school football and oil fields — have participated in the University of Texas at Austin program. Students this year say they are seeing their hometowns in a new way.
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Criminal Justice
“Someone’s going to end up dead”: New evidence emerges in Travis Scott Astroworld tragedy
A new Houston police report details how the rapper perceived what was happening and what he told investigators. It also contains police interviews with concert promoters, security personnel and other key witnesses.
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Economy
Rural Texas may lose out on billions in broadband infrastructure funding due to federal regulations
Grant applicants are required to have a line of credit from a major bank and put up 25% of the project cost ahead of time. That will likely disqualify many small internet service providers in rural areas.
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Economy
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar stages “thirst strike” to advocate for federally mandated water breaks in extreme heat
There are no federal or state requirements that people who work outside receive paid water breaks. Casar, an Austin Democrat, wants to change that.
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Climate Change in Texas
As Texas swelters, crops and cattle are increasingly at risk
One year after a devastating drought, Texas agriculture watchers are wary that the positive effects of a wet spring could be zapped up with extreme heat.
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Economy
Nearly 64,000 Texas borrowers will have their federal loans forgiven
A U.S. Department of Education review identified 804,000 borrowers across the country with loans taken more than two decades ago and whose debts should have been canceled but were not because of “administrative failures.”