Texas Republican Pushes for Delay in Voter ID Requirements
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Seeking compromise where none had seemed possible, a top Republican leader in the Texas House is pushing for a delay of up to four years before new voter identification requirements are enacted, giving the state time to educate the public and conduct a massive voter registration campaign. More

Opinion: Follow the Money to the TRCC
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
As always, you can follow the money behind efforts to promote the builder-friendly Texas Residential Construction Commission. As always, most of the money leads back to the largest individual donor in recent state history. The commission is supposed to help homeowners by resolving disputes with builders without expensive lawsuits. But it hasn’t worked that way, according to critics. More

Homebuilder Layoffs: 156 in Houston, 63 in Austin
from The Houston Business Journal
Homebuilder TOUSA Inc. is preparing to lay off 156 people in the Houston area from its Newmark Homes brand, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. The staff reduction is part of a larger set of cuts of 282 Texas employees by the Hollywood, Fla. builder, which also notified the TWC that it would be laying off 63 Newmark Homes employees in Austin. More

Report: Texas Tech Sector Not Too Shabby
from The Austin Business Journal
Texas’ technology industry hasn’t been hit as hard as the total private-sector nationally, according to a new report. The number of tech jobs in the Lone Star State declined 0.6 percent during fourth-quarter 2008 compared with 1.3 percent for the national private-sector. Texas lost 38,000 tech jobs during the three-month period, trade association TechAmerica reported. The decline came one year after Texas’ tech job growth (14,700) was the largest in the United States. The number of tech workers in Texas ranks the state No. 2 in the nation following California, the report shows. More

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Highlights from the Texas Legislature
from The Associated Press via The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Senate Finance Committee gave unanimous approval Monday to a two-year, $182 billion state budget that includes $11 billion in federal stimulus money. Also discussed: Federal unemployment funds, sobriety checkpoints, Indian casinos. More

State Farm Tells Texas Regulator Some Customers Undercharged
from The Dallas Morning News
State Farm Insurance, facing state allegations that it overcharged customers by hundreds of millions of dollars, raised the possibility Monday that some customers weren't charged enough for their policies. State Farm attorneys, who vigorously denied the charges of excessive rates in a hearing before state Insurance Commissioner Mike Geeslin, also contended that the company was not required to show "clear and convincing evidence" that its rates were fair. More

Century 21 Poll Finds Market Tempting First Time Buyers
from The Dallas Morning News
The lowest mortgage rates in decades and new government tax credits are tempting more first-time buyers, a new poll shows. More than three-fourths of the people in a poll commissioned by Century 21 Real Estate LLC said they think it's a good time to buy a home – even with all the economic problems. More

Home Prices Fall by Sharpest Rate on Record
from The Associated Press via The Dallas Morning News
A widely watched index shows American home prices dropped by the sharpest annual rate on record in January. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city housing index released Tuesday tumbled by a record 19 percent from January 2008. It was the largest decline since the index started in 2000. The 10-city index dropped 19.4 percent, also a new record. More

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