Texas Business, Regulation & Economic Policy
Reporting on Texas energy, jobs, regulation, taxation, state spending, and legislation affecting employers and workers. TexasDefined separately owns household calculators, relocation guidance, real-estate planning, and cost-of-living tools.
Last updated: September 9, 2026
What we cover
Energy
Oil and gas, ERCOT, generation policy, and Permian production.
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Employment policy, wages, workforce programs, and the Texas labor market.
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State agencies, permitting, local authority, and rules affecting employers.
Filter →Taxes & Spending
Business taxes, property-tax policy, appropriations, and local government finance.
Filter →Legislation
Bills and state decisions affecting Texas businesses and workers.
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Energy, taxes, jobs, regulation, and legislation shaping the Texas economy.
The Texas Energy Economy: A Full Overview of Oil, Gas, ERCOT, and the Grid That Powers America
How Texas became the energy capital of North America — Permian crude, Eagle Ford gas, ERCOT reliability, the Railroad Commission, and what the Houston-led oil and gas industry means for the Texas economy.
Why Texas Has No State Income Tax — and What Pays for Government Instead
Texas is one of nine states without an income tax, and the 2019 constitutional amendment makes it nearly impossible to enact one. Here's the sales-tax-and-property-tax model that funds the second-largest state in the union.
How Texas Counties Actually Spend Your Money
Sheriff's office, jail operations, road and bridge, district courts, and indigent defense — a breakdown of where every dollar of your county property tax actually goes.
What Local Governments Actually Control in Texas
Counties, cities, ISDs, MUDs, and emergency-services districts each levy their own tax — here's who decides what, and which line on your bill funds which service.
How County Appraisal Districts Work — and Your Rights as a Taxpayer
Inside the CAD: how appraisers set market values, what the Appraisal Review Board does, and the statutory rights every property owner can invoke during protest season.
A Guide to Texas Energy Policy: ERCOT, Oil & Gas, and the Regulators in Charge
How the Railroad Commission, PUC, and ERCOT divide authority over the nation's largest energy economy — and where renewables fit into a grid built on hydrocarbons.
The Texas Grid Explained: ERCOT, Reliability, and Why Independence Still Matters
Why Texas runs its own grid, what the Public Utility Commission actually controls, and the reforms keeping the lights on through summer peaks and winter freezes.