ECONOMY

About $17 billion worth of commitments lawmakers made in the new budget were snagged in policy fights between the Texas House and Senate on Saturday night.

The value of a household’s vehicles disqualified nearly 55,000 people seeking federal food assistance in 2022. House Bill 1287 increases the threshold of car values that lead to SNAP applicants being denied aid.

The high-stakes confrontation could have an impact on retirements accounts, corporations and much more.

The proposal would leave billions of anticipated tax revenue untouched at a time when the state has more money coming in than lawmakers are constitutionally allowed to spend.

State lawmakers have pushed bills to support fossil fuel-burning power plants and restrict renewable energy development this legislative session.

The German economy has shrunk unexpectedly in the first three months of this year, marking the second quarter of contraction that is one definition of recession.

Lawmakers hope to hammer out a program to replace the embattled Chapter 313 program before the legislative session ends Monday.

Democrats played a major role in killing legislation aimed at boosting Texas’ flagging housing supply — to the frustration of housing advocates.

The bill, which Democrats have been pushing for years, has become a top priority after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The Senate has already passed the bill, which would provide tax relief on the purchase of menstrual products, diapers and other child care necessities.

The bill would direct Texas agencies to not enforce federal regulations on the oil industry if there’s not a similar state regulation. But it likely wouldn’t apply to most federal environmental rules, experts and lawmakers said.

Texas lawmakers, deciding not to not be the anti-hero, looked into the issue that outraged Swift fans last fall. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn hopes to take the issue on in Congress.

Texas’s big cities, outside of Austin, are faring better than most across the country,

In San Antonio, buying a home right now would cost, on average, about 5% more than renting — not a huge difference.

Lawmakers are trying hard to come up with an agreement on how to replace an embattled 20-year tax abatement program for big companies that expired in December.

Priority bills that died include a 10-year minimum sentencing for gun-related crimes, a ban on “critical race theory” at public universities and LGBTQ-related legislation. While the bills may be dead, lawmakers have a limited time to attach their ideas to legislation that are still alive.

Investigators say the fire was an accident and started with an engine fire in a manure vacuum truck.

The two chambers have 10 days to cut a deal before the end of the legislative session, and they are miles apart on some of the very foundations of a corporate tax-abatement bill considered to be a priority for Republican state leaders.

The federal Farm Bill is must-pass legislation that Congress debates every five years. It includes billions of dollars in farm subsidies and pays for food assistance programs.

An estimated 7 million Texans don’t have access to high-speed broadband internet access.

House lawmakers added a significant boost to the Senate’s proposed homestead exemption and tacked on a contentious idea to lower the state’s appraisal cap.

The bill aims to create a water supply four times the size of Lake Livingston, one of the state’s largest reservoirs. But it may still be a “drop in the bucket” compared to the state’s needs.

With two weeks to go before the legislative session adjourns, chief budget writers still have not announced compromises on some of the largest fights facing the Texas Legislature.

Both the House and the Senate’s proposals on property tax cuts would give modest savings to the typical Texas homeowner, but critics say the House plan could create vast inequities and disproportionately benefit wealthy homeowners.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle threw their support behind a new requirement that the unit use only commissioned peace officers for enforcement actions.

Grady’s BBQ had three remaining locations on Fredericksburg and Bandera Roads ins San Antonio as well as a Converse location. All are now permanently closed.

Three years after the COVID-19 pandemic upset the fragile child care industry, about a third of the state’s child care providers remain closed.

Interest rates, savings, mortgages, a lot is happening in the financial world that may significantly impact you and your family. Mannik Dhillon, President of VictoryShares and Solution for Victory Capital, joined Leading SA this weekend to break it all down and advise families who have college in their future.

Truckers have reported waiting up to 24 hours to cross the border because of the inspections. Gov. Greg Abbott ordered similar inspections last year to stop smuggling, but troopers found no contraband after checking more than 4,000 vehicles.

An estimated 500,000 people live in thousands of colonias along the Texas-Mexico border. Largely built between the 1950s and 1980s, these communities have been promised water — but it has never come.

During the floor debate for a plan to replace the expired Chapter 313 program, House members added that the new version of the incentive must require companies to pay higher wages and create stiffer penalties for noncompliance.

Water agencies have long resisted working together out of fear of losing their local powers. But an example from Florida could help save the Lone Star State’s water and infrastructure.

Texas has more than 7,000 water systems. A fraction of them self-reported that they lost 30 billion gallons of water due to broken pipes and leaks in 2021.

On a daily basis, water managers in cities across the state move from crisis to crisis hoping to keep the water flowing to residents.

The legislation — which falls short of the $10 billion needed to ensure all Texans have reliable internet access — must still win approval in the state Senate.

San Antonio’s tourism industry will get a big boost next month as the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW convention is headed to San Antonio for the first time and is expected to generate millions of dollars for the city.

Local leaders told members of the Federal Reserve last week that families are facing financial stresses that make working hard. Educators say they need families more involved at school.

There are $5 billion and several political wedges standing between the House and Senate plans, which now move into conference committee with less than five weeks before session ends.

House Speaker Dade Phelan has said tightening the appraisal cap is the best way to cut property taxes, but Senate tax-cut proponents, housing experts and business groups predict the move would have dire consequences.

The proposal for the 2024-25 budget cycle includes $142.1 billion in general revenue spending — about $5 billion higher than the proposal approved last week by the Texas House — at a time when lawmakers have a historic $32.7 billion surplus at their disposal this session.

House Bill 1 is being debated on the floor of the lower chamber, where representatives are hammering out details on the next two years of state spending.

Budget proposals in the Texas Legislature include billions in raises for current and retired teachers, as well as current state employees. So far, retired state employees are not mentioned in the budget plans. The state’s former public servants haven’t had a pension raise in 20 years.

Two bills would form the foundation for companies to build more electric vehicle charging stations across the state, supporters say.

The Senate wants to raise the homestead exemption. The House wants to tighten the appraisal cap. Both chambers’ leaders are skeptical of each other’s proposal.

The Senate Finance Committee’s proposals won’t be voted on and sent to the full chamber until April.

The proposal recommends spending billions on programs including property tax cuts, teacher pay raises, mental health services and border security. It leaves out requests for pay raises for retired state employees and funding for rent relief and childcare programs.

Texas lawmakers could prohibit race-based hair discrimination at schools and workplaces. At least 20 states have already passed similar legislation, according to a group that champions the laws.

Housing advocates, builders and real estate experts agree that the state simply isn’t building enough homes to keep up with its booming population and economic growth.

Lawmakers say their bills are needed to provide small businesses with consistent regulations and that regulatory power should be returned to the state. Labor groups say the proposal could undo hard-fought measures to protect workers.

Bigger cities like Lubbock can unintentionally suck health care resources and professionals from smaller towns, creating what one local expert calls the “doughnut effect.”

Cuts to school property tax bills. Bigger tax benefits for homeowners. A controversial idea to limit property tax growth. Here’s what you need to know about the brewing property tax debate at the Texas Legislature.

The allocation is part of a plan to add $12 billion to the current budget. It hasn’t been approved yet by the House.

It was a positive January jobs report for San Antonio and surrounding areas in the latest Workforce Solutions Alamo jobs report.

Lawmakers will decide whether to keep protections that shielded tenants from eviction — or to ban them.

The end of The Canadian Record’s print edition — even if temporary — is another indication of how perilous the news business is for local publishers and the communities they’re a part of.

President Joe Biden on Monday morning is expected to deliver remarks about the U.S. banking system following the failure of California-based Silicon Valley Bank.

If Texas’ budget surplus were distributed directly to Texans, it could pay for 12 years of school lunches, seven months of rent or 11,000 miles of travel. Here’s how to put the big number into perspective.

Motorists can save 30 cents a gallon on gas for Circle Day Fuel Day on Thursday, March 9.

Last March, the U.S. Senate passed what is known as the Sunshine Protection Act, which would end the twice-a-year ritual of changing clocks by making one set time permanent.

In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Texas Tribune reporters Joshua Fechter and Patrick Svitek about the different proposals to reduce Texans’ property tax burdens.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday paid a visit to San Antonio to talk about the state’s economic successes and current legislative efforts to ensure Texans thrive in the state’s booming economy during a fireside chat at a luncheon hosted by the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and greater:SATX.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan’s proposal reveals the different roads the Texas House and Senate want to take on property taxes — and the fight that might emerge between the two chambers this session.

In 2021, the Texas Senate declined to consider a bill extending the program, which discounted local property taxes to lure big companies to the state. It had become plagued with bipartisan accusations of “corporate welfare.”

Dallas-based Corner Bakery Café has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to media reports.

Business groups warned lawmakers that Texas could lose business to other states without something to replace the so-called Chapter 313 tax break, which gave some companies big breaks on school taxes.

The U.S. economy expanded at a 2.7% annual rate from October through December, a solid showing despite rising interest rates and elevated inflation, the government said in a downgrade from its initial estimate.

According to responses we’ve gotten to the idea, many are receptive to a four-day workweek.

Abbott told business leaders in Arlington on Wednesday that Texas is already suffering from the end of the tax-break program, recently losing a “massive” computer chip factory to New York.

Houston’s community land trust was once touted as an innovative way to address its housing crisis. But city leaders slashed its funding by half as bureaucracy bogged down the program and enthusiasm dwindled.

The City of San Antonio, Neighborhood and Housing Services, is hosting workshops to help homeowners learn about lowering property taxes.

There are steps people can take to help be calmer and enjoy a flight.

A cascade of issues including inflation and growing distrust in government aren’t helping local governments hire for critical positions in public safety and utilities.

In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Pia Orrenius, vice president and senior economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, about the 2023 outlook for the Texas economy.

Some might know it, but there is a rideshare for long distances that exists.

The new delta-8 hemp products, which are widely available, can produce a high similar to marijuana’s. State Sen. Charles Perry said he and his peers never intended for such products to reach the market.

Despite worries of a national recession, Texas’ robust labor force and strong energy sector could help it fare relatively well in a potential 2023 slowdown.

The city originally said it would restore all power by 6 p.m. Friday. But more than 75,000 customers are still without electricity Saturday morning.

Experts say local governments should prioritize extreme weather preparedness. Cost can be a deterring factor.

School closures and hazardous road conditions are expected throughout a large portion of Texas, according to forecasts. State officials caution Texans about local power outages but expect the grid to stay up.

More than 60% of Texans polled by Texas Lyceum said the country is on the wrong course, and the poll found steep drops in the number of people who think democracy is the best form of government.

The state set a record for the number of employed people for 14 consecutive months.

The preliminary budgets by House and Senate call for $130.1 billion in state spending over two years, even though tens of billions more are available to them. The bills do not bust state or constitutional spending limits.

The National Park Service has announced that in 2023, there will be five days where admission to sites will be free to the public.

Mayors from the state’s most populous cities presented their legislative wish list, including economic development and workforce programs, broadband infrastructure and violence prevention.

The department’s helpline is less than a year old. But advocates hope state lawmakers fully fund it as farmers and ranchers continue to face hard economic times and isolation.

It’s far more money than legislators have ever had at their disposal, with an increase in available funds that dwarfs any previous jumps between cycles. It’s also more money than lawmakers can constitutionally spend.

San Antonio’s growth in sales volume is expected to far outpace the national rate of change.

Southwest Airlines has canceled more flights than any other airline during the holidays, prompting federal investigators to ask why.

Oyster harvesters on the Texas coast are facing twin threats to their way of life: The state shut down reefs to prevent overfishing and following recent reports of illness after people ate Texas oysters.

Local officials, echoing Glenn Hegar, say the current maps are flawed and the process to lodge complaints is cumbersome.

San Antonio’s growth in sales volume is expected to far outpace the national rate of change.

Important dates to know if you plan on sending packages to loved ones for holiday season.

For some local relief programs, a lack of staffing, political support and effective community outreach got in the way of spending federal funds to prevent evictions, a new report found. More than $30 million went unspent and had to be returned.

Rural communities face compounding reasons they can’t improve their water infrastructure, including inflation and a lack of human resources.

A year after supply chain snags challenged toy stores to put inventory on the shelves, the new Grinch is rising costs.

The capital city’s mayoral race is something of a test case in how the state’s rising housing costs might influence local races in major cities.

This year, the rising costs of gas, groceries and energy has many shoppers reluctant to spend heavily this Black Friday.

Zavalla lost all water for several days. The Texas Department of Emergency Management has sent pallets of bottled water and a team to help.

This probe is part of the state’s wider investigation into FTX’s multibillion-dollar bankruptcy.

FTX’s bankruptcy has been a painful setback for the industry. But many legislators, investors and enthusiasts remain believers in making Texas crypto’s top destination.

After 15 years as president and CEO of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Richard Perez announced Thursday that he will step down at the end of the year.