The bill, which also includes billions in aid for state and local governments, now awaits President Joe Biden’s signature.
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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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas no longer has a statewide mask mandate. But face coverings are still required in some businesses and public places.
Texas’ statewide mask mandate has ended as of March 10. Businesses are also now allowed to operate at full capacity as long as the hospitals in their region haven’t been treating a large share of patients for COVID-19. Here’s a look at what the loosened restrictions mean for Texans.
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Winter Storm 2021
Analysis: One way or another, Texans will get the bill for fixing the electric grid
It’s going to be expensive to make sure the state’s electricity stays on during winter storms like the one that blacked out most of Texas last month, and the money will come, one way or another, from average Texans.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Legislation backed by casino giant would allow casinos, sports gambling in Texas
Las Vegas Sands is pushing to create the opportunity for casinos at “destination resorts” in the state’s four largest metropolitan areas.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
A Texas lender sued thousands of low-income Latinos during the pandemic. Now the feds are investigating.
Oportun Inc., a small-dollar loan company, disclosed to investors that it is the subject of a probe by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau following reporting by The Texas Tribune and ProPublica.
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Winter Storm 2021
Analysis: After the blackouts, a whiff of the 2022 elections in Texas
A proposed remodeling of the state’s electricity grid from Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller might be more than it seems. It reads like a campaign’s position paper.
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Coronavirus in Texas
A Mexican restaurant in Houston is keeping its mask rule. People threatened to call ICE on the staff.
Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to lift the statewide mask mandate has not come easily for many businesses that are navigating enforcement of mask rules while facing backlash. “It was just horrific,” said Monica Richards, co-owner of Picos.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas businesses must decide whether to require face masks. Some worry they could lose customers either way.
A day after Gov. Greg Abbott announced plans to fully reopen businesses and end the state’s mask mandate, small business owners across Texas found themselves struggling to decide what to do next.
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Economy
Senate passes Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill
The Senate approved the relief plan on Saturday after roughly 24 hours of debate. The bill includes $1,400 stimulus checks for millions of Americans, as well as an additional $300-per-week in unemployment payments until early September.
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Winter Storm 2021
Watch: Texas farmers start to replant after winter freeze left “total devastation”
Johnson’s Backyard Garden, an organic farm near Austin, lost almost its entire crop during February’s devastating winter storm.