ECONOMY

The funding bill was a long shot, but far-right U.S. representatives said it didn’t go far enough in promoting their priorities, including border security and defunding investigations into Donald Trump.

Here’s a look back at the 2023 Texas Tribune Festival through the eyes of Tribune photographers.

The city joins Cambridge, Mass. and the Washington, D.C. area as epicenters of the new agency. A Biden administration initiative, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health will work toward medical breakthroughs in treating diseases like cancer, Alzheimer and diabetes.

Texas Democrats decry Republican infighting that has halted attempts to approve annual spending bills and avoid a federal government shutdown.

First it was Taylor Swift — a three day eras tour takeover in Houston. Then Drake announcing H-Town as his new home.

The city’s decades-long battle to overhaul local rules to allow more, denser housing to be built may be reaching a turning point.

The state will likely see the two years of post-pandemic growth start to decelerate, according to Roberto Coronado, senior vice president and senior economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Coronado also cited lowering inflation rates as a top priority for the Dallas Fed.

Fellows play key roles in the most important work of the Tribune, helping with The Texas Tribune Festival and covering the biennial legislative sessions, education and the environment, among other important topics.

A report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas researchers say that economic growth, low taxes and big cities all can keep residents in their home states.

Texas joins a handful of states turn to the north for cheaper drugs. But feds have been slow to approve requests, three years after giving initial OK.

Double billing, rejected automatic payments and expensive late fees are the most frequent complaints about a toll system with different operators and rules across the state.

The British economy unexpectedly grew in the second quarter of the year largely as a result of a strong rebound in June when many businesses, particularly in the leisure sector benefited from the warm and settled weather.

A minority of farmers in the Texas High Plains region are looking to organic and regenerative techniques to keep their soil healthy year round, despite a dry climate.

Housing costs have soared in the Texas city in recent years, while the state cuts back on funding.

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.

Federal pandemic relief to hard-hit day care operators is drying up, forcing some providers to close.

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

Starting in 2024, travelers who have previously come to the continent without a visa will need an additional authorization document that is linked to a passport.

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 Austin program. Students this year say they are seeing their hometowns in a new way.

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.

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.

There are no federal or state requirements that people who work outside receive paid water breaks. Casar, an Austin Democrat, wants to change that.

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.

Many who have recently visited Mixon's— a family business that has been around since 1939— comes to say thank you and goodbye, all while sharing a memory of some sort.

Big changes are coming to downtown Houston, thanks to a Senate bill that is anticipated to bring around $2 billion to the area.

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.”

House Democrats attempted to insert benefits for renters and more money for public education into the tax-cuts package in a series of floor amendments but were unsuccessful.

In triple-digit temperatures, drinking water frequently and resting in the shade are minimum safety measures for avoiding injuries and deaths. But they are not applied to every job site.

Student loan repayments are set to resume in October. If you’re a Texas student loan borrower, tell us how this will affect you.

The deal would channel $12 billion to reduce the school property tax rate for homeowners and business properties, increase the homestead exemption, and create a pilot program to reduce taxes on certain residential and commercial properties. The legislation is expected to pass later this week.

State lawmakers passed the law after a North Texas homeowners’ association barred landlords from renting to Section 8 tenants. Most of the affected tenants in that neighborhood were Black.

With the threat of a potential recession, it's the perfect time for people to think about saving now. How can Americans take advantage of competitive yields to keep up?

Texas’ top Republicans are fighting over how to split property tax cuts between businesses and homeowners. Democrats want renters to see relief, too.

Known as the Corsi-Rosenthal box, it pulls air through filters on the sides and blows out clean air. It’s proven to reduce indoor exposure to airborne particles. The box can decrease the levels of particles in the air, such as dust or wildfire smoke.

A stalemate among Texas’ top Republicans has dragged on for months. Tax-cut proponents in the House and Senate made their first pitches to end the impasse Wednesday.

Many Texas residents can opt for a variety of different educational programs that are shorter, more appropriate to their needs and often cost less than a bachelor’s degree.

The federal money will be added to the $1.5 billion investment made by state lawmakers this session to increase broadband availability across Texas.

The all-Republican court narrowly found that the nonprofit corporation operating the state’s electrical grid qualifies for sovereign immunity, which protects government entities from lawsuits.

A new state law increases what SNAP applicants’ vehicles can be worth before they’re disqualified for federal food assistance. But most states don’t take car values into consideration at all.

The Senate’s latest proposal is an apparent effort to appease Gov. Greg Abbott and the lower chamber. The state’s top Republicans have been at odds for months over how to use the state’s historic budget surplus to cut property taxes.

The Ogallala Aquifer serves farming communities in multiple states. When it runs dry, the agriculture industry in Texas and the nation is in jeopardy.

Gov. Greg Abbott has thrown his weight behind the idea being pushed by an influential conservative think tank. Many school leaders are worried.

Gov. Greg Abbott approved a law this week that will eliminate city and county ordinances like Austin’s and Dallas’ mandated water breaks.

Texas Rural Funders hopes a one-stop resource for grant applications and writers could help small towns win money to fund innovation and capital needs.

Phelan announced the formation of a House committee that could set the tone in favor of vouchers ahead of an expected special session on education. The move comes weeks after Abbott sided with Phelan on a plan to lower property taxes.

Microchips are increasingly present in every day life, from phones and laptops to cars and washing machines. Gov. Greg Abbott approved last week a stimulus package in an effort to shore up the supply chain after the pandemic’s disruptions.

The expansion project will enable the world’s largest class of tanker ships to dock at a new oil export terminal on the Gulf Coast. It also involves dredging a Superfund site.

On the eve of a historic investment in connecting the Lone Star State, advocates worry maps that will help establish which communities get funding have bad information.

Before Abbott can review the budget that will direct the state’s spending for the next two years, the comptroller has to certify that it doesn’t spend more money than the state expects to bring in.

Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan back a plan that spreads property tax relief among all landowners, while Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s proposal would give homeowners a bigger boost than businesses.

Cars in some of Texas’ larger counties will still be required to have their emission output checked.

Now that Texas has a near-total ban on abortion, lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are trying to make sure colleges are serving students who are pregnant or have children.

After negotiations that became tense and public, the House and Senate fell short of delivering on one of the biggest legislative priorities for Republicans in the regular legislative session.

After the previous, widely criticized program expired in December, lawmakers worked hard to craft a plan that won overwhelming support in both chambers.

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.

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.

The City of Houston announced its Gold designation by the U.S. Green Building Council as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Cities.

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

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.

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.

Khambrel Marshall discusses immigration policy with a Rice University political science expert as Title 42 is set to expire.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.