Pulte-Centex Merger Could Signal Housing Rebound
from The Austin American-Statesman
Pulte Homes Inc. will become the largest homebuilder nationally and in Central Texas, catapulted to the top by a planned merger with Centex Homes that some local experts say could signal a housing market rebound. Local developers say more consolidations could follow as homebuilders try to survive the worst housing downturn in a generation. More

Clean Air Bill Gets Tentative Approval from Texas Senate
from The Dallas Morning News
New homes in Texas would have to be at least 15 percent more efficient in energy use and new appliances would have to use significantly less electricity under clean-air legislation that the Senate tentatively approved on Wednesday. Also under the bill, Texans who purchase plug-in hybrid motor vehicles - now being developed by most major automakers - would qualify for $4,000 rebates. More

Developer Says DFW Would Be a Good Place for a Casino
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
One of the country’s richest men said Wednesday that he would consider building a luxury casino complex in Dallas-Fort Worth if the Texas Legislature approves a measure allowing up to 12 destination casinos in the state’s urban centers. More

Perry, the GOP and Unemployment Stimulus Money
from The Austin American-Statesman
Against the wishes of Gov. Rick Perry, lawmakers are pressing ahead with efforts to claim $555 million in federal economic stimulus money for unemployment benefits. With all of the Senate Democrats already on board, a small group of Republican senators hold the key votes needed for passage. Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, is rounding up votes for his bill that would make changes in the state's unemployment program so that Texas can qualify for that money. More

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Perry Supports Cole Family’s Push for Bills to Help the Wrongly Convicted
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The family of Timothy Cole met with Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday and said they received assurances that the governor will "do everything in his power" to push legislation to help wrongly convicted former inmates. More

Texas House Panel Backs Smaller Budget Plan
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
A Texas House committee approved a $178 billion state budget Tuesday, a 5 percent increase over the previous two-year budget but about $4 billion less than the Senate version. The unanimous vote by the House Appropriations Committee moves the budget to the full House, where it is expected to be taken up late next week. More

Texas Showing Steady Migration Despite Recession
from The San Antonio Business Journal
A new report from online consumer resource group Relocation.com backs up recent Census data showing that Texas continues to see a population influx as people move from other parts of the country being more seriously affected by the recession. The report, which analyzes interstate moves involving Texas from the beginning of 2007 through the first quarter of 2009, shows that 62 percent of such moves over the 27-month period were people moving to Texas, while just 38 percent were leaving. For 2008, Texas ranked fourth in the country for percentage of moves into the state. More

Schools, State at Odds Over Stimulus Allocation
from El Paso Times
School district leaders are afraid that federal stimulus money they hoped to use for construction and maintenance will not reach them but rather help the state save money. That is why El Paso district Superintendent Lorenzo Garcia, Ysleta district Superintendent Michael Zolkoski and leaders of 10 other Texas districts have asked Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to intervene. More

U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Fell to 654,000 Last Week
from Bloomberg
he number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment insurance exceeded 600,000 for a 10th straight week and the total collecting benefits increased to a record, signs the labor market remains weak. First-time jobless claims fell by 20,000 to 654,000 in the week ended April 4, from a revised 674,000 a week earlier that was the highest since 1982, the Labor Department said. More

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