COVID-19 Recession in Texas

As employees test positive, some bars and restaurants are closing even though Texas allows them to operate. Many owners are balancing feedback from their staffs, their patrons, state guidelines and local officials. Full Story 

As COVID-19 continues spreading, the Texas Workforce Commission says out-of-work Texans will have to prove they are searching for work to receive unemployment benefits beginning July 6. Full Story 

Federal aid through the CARES act is helping, but it likely won't be enough to fill the holes in cities' budgets caused by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Full Story 

University of Texas/Texas Tribune polling showed the decade-long economic expansion widely lauded by state leaders and by most voters as “the Texas Miracle” has not affected all Texans equally, two of our pollsters write. Full Story 

Thousands of small businesses, especially those owned by people of color, have been left behind by the stipulations of the Paycheck Protection Program. In Texas, local governments are lending millions of dollars, and it’s not enough. Full Story 

Last week, another 106,821 Texans filed for unemployment. Already, the agency has processed more than four typical years' worth of unemployment claims since mid-March. Full Story 

"Significant declines in sales tax receipts were evident in all major economic sectors, with the exception of telecommunications services," Comptroller Glenn Hegar said in a statement. Full Story 

Evictions and debt collections have resumed, child care subsidies will be discontinued and those who are out of work will again have to prove they are searching for a job in order to receive unemployment benefits. Full Story 

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission on Monday extended the deadline for applying to July 31. Full Story 

On this week's TribCast, Alexa talks to Matthew, Emma and Ross about the state's recently released guidance for the upcoming elections, the reopening of water parks and the economic devastation faced by Texas workers. Full Story 

Hundreds of debt collection lawsuits have been filed since Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster because of COVID-19 in mid-March, according to the Health Care Research and Policy Team at Johns Hopkins University. Full Story 

Live updates: To receive benefits, people who filed for unemployment must request payments every two weeks on an assigned day. Full Story 

Until now, the state’s worst-ever monthly unemployment rate was 9.2% in November 1986, as Texas reeled from the last big oil bust. A combination of the coronavirus pandemic and a contracting energy industry are expected to slow Texas' economic recovery. Full Story 

Texas received a staggering 417,468 applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program last month, a sharp increase from March’s already high number of requests. Full Story 

As workers and customers reemerge into a society still grappling with a spreading coronavirus, the power Gov. Greg Abbott and officials across the globe used to close businesses in the first place does not extend to reviving the economy. Full Story 

Some state agencies are exempt from the cuts, including the Department of State Health Services, the Texas Workforce Commission and the Department of Public Safety. Full Story 

As 2020 college graduates prepare to enter the workforce, they are having to contend with a historic economic recession. Experts say those who do get jobs in the recession may accept lower wages and salaries than they’d have otherwise settled for. Full Story 

Unemployment has disproportionately affected renters since the crisis began. Advocates fear displacement and an increase in homelessness. Full Story 

The Texas Workforce Commission had finally lined up enough federal money to move the system — built in the 1990s — to the cloud. But before that happened, nearly 2 million suddenly unemployed Texans overwhelmed the old system. Full Story 

In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, listen to the 17-year-old describe the backlash she says she faced from customers when enforcing the governor's social distancing guidelines. Full Story