February Existing Home Sales Spike 5.1 Percent

One month does not a recovery make, but a jump in existing home sales in February may be a sign that the real estate market is stabilizing. Although sales of existing homes remain at lows not seen in more than a decade, economists were encouraged by the news, saying it reflected buyers who were taking advantage of deep discounts on foreclosures and other distressed properties. That activity is essential if home prices are to hit bottom. More

Existing Home Sales Up in West

Sales of existing homes in western states rose 2.6 percent in February from the previous month and were up 30.4 percent from February 2008, the National Association of Realtors said Monday. The January-to-February sales increase in the western states was less than the national average increase of 5.1 percent, NAR said, but the West was the only region of the country where existing-home sales were up from a year earlier. More

Midway Through Session, Texas House Has Yet To Pass a Bill

Today, lawmakers are midway through their short, git 'er done, 140-day legislative session. And of the more than 5,000 bills filed, the full House has considered – wait, let me count – ah, yes: none. Call it the Seinfeld session – so far, a session about nothing. "It's very slow," said Rep. Alma Allen, D-Houston, in her third session. "We've been here almost three months, and there's not one bill out." More

Texas Senate Endorses Redistricting Bill

Congressional redistricting in Texas would be handled by an independent commission rather than the Legislature under a bill tentatively approved Monday by the Senate. The measure by Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, is aimed at heading off partisan showdowns in Texas, such as in 2003 when first House Democrats and then Senate Democrats fled the state to block action on a GOP-backed plan to redraw congressional districts in the state. More

Hutchison Urges Perry to Find Way to Take Unemployment Money

Gubernatorial candidate Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison said Monday that Gov. Rick Perry should look for ways to accept $550 million in unemployment fund stimulus money without committing the state to future federal mandates. Hutchison told reporters at a Texas Daily Newspaper Association meeting that there may be a way to use the stimulus money to bolster the struggling fund and keep employers from facing steep unemployment taxes next year. More

Show Me The Money: Counting on Stimulus Funds

The Texas Senate's chief budget writer says he's relying heavily on federal stimulus money. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Steve Ogden says, though, that he's not worried that Gov. Rick Perry will reject any more economic recovery aid from Washington. More

House Committee Will Hold Two Day Voter ID Hearing

Ever since Senate Republicans pushed through a bill that would require Texans provide photographic identification to vote, political watchers have been waiting for the House to pick up the issue. More

Could the Economy Be Healing?

Financial markets roared ahead Monday as investors reacted with near-euphoria to the Obama administration's trillion-dollar plan to stabilize banks by relieving them of their troubled assets and risky loans. More

Immigration Chronicles: Reform Battle Looming

It looks like we're in store for a sequel to the summer blockbuster of 2007 when immigration reform crashed and burned in Congress. Last week President Obama re-affirmed his campaign promise to tackle immigration reform head on. That plan includes a possible path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Now we hear that anti-illegal immigration groups are feverishly writing the script to fight any efforts at amnesty. More