The decision to limit certification to companies owned by disabled veterans will shrink the Historically Underutilized Business program from more than 15,000 to 485 participants — all men.
Paul Cobler
Paul Cobler is the Tribune's economy and industry reporter, covering the socioeconomic and political forces that impact Texans’ pocketbooks and upward mobility. Before joining the Tribune, he was a politics reporter for the Houston Landing and covered Baton Rouge City Hall for The Advocate in Louisiana. Paul grew up in Victoria, Texas, and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. His reporting has appeared in news publications across the state, including the Dallas Morning News, Austin American-Statesman and the Houston Chronicle. He is based in Austin.
Posted in
State Government
Texas removes women and minorities from Historically Underutilized Business program for state contracts
The program will now only be eligible for service-disabled veterans. It will be called Veteran Heroes United in Business.
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Economy
Texas moves ahead with regulating hemp industry as federal ban looms
TABC intends to proceed with the adoption of permanent regulations on the hemp industry in Texas despite the potential ban.
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Economy
Google to build three new data centers in Texas in $40 billion investment
The announcement by Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai is the latest multi-billion dollar investment in Texas by tech companies racing to build infrastructure that can support advanced artificial intelligence.
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2025 Texas Elections
Pro-gambling interests struggling to gain foothold in Texas after Senate special election loss
John Huffman was the best-funded candidate in the Senate District 9 special election thanks to casino interests, but failed to make the runoff. Gambling proponents still have millions more to spend on Texas races.
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State Government
Texas freezes program to help minority-owned businesses
The state comptroller’s office said it would stop issuing or renewing certifications under the Historically Underutilized Business program. Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock said it was the latest step toward ending DEI in Texas.
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Economy
SNAP cutoff could hurt Texas grocers and the rest of the economy, experts say
The ongoing government shutdown means more than $600 million per month won’t go to millions of Texas SNAP beneficiaries who pump that money into the state economy.
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Criminal Justice
Greg Abbott authorizes Trump to deploy Texas National Guard to other states
The governor posted a photo Monday showing guardsmen deploying but did not mention a destination. Trump called for troops to deploy to Illinois and Oregon, where a judge temporarily blocked their arrival.
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Economy
Texas stock exchange gets federal approval as state tries to compete with New York heavyweights
The Texas Stock Exchange is expected to launch in Dallas next year, as economists wait to see if “Y’all Street” is big enough to support the exchange and challenge New York’s dominance in the financial sector.
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Criminal Justice
Texas health agency adopts emergency rule banning consumable hemp sales to anyone under 21
Two state agencies have now adopted the temporary rule while they work to adopt formal rules to limit who can buy THC products.