Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar today said state sales tax revenue totaled $3.68 billion in February, 14.2 percent more than in February 2022. The majority of February sales tax revenue is based on sales made in January and remitted to the agency in February. “Propelled by continued strong business spending and a surprising post-holiday surge in consumer spending, growth in February sales tax receipts significantly outpaced inflation, which is still hovering over 6 percent,” Hegar said. “Robust increases […]
Glenn Hegar
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar’s Statement on Harris County Effort to Resolve Police Defunding
Today my office was notified by the Office of the Governor that officials from Harris County have sought an opportunity to resolve a complaint that the county defunded law enforcement. I am encouraged that Judge Lina Hidalgo and county officials have stopped attempting to litigate the math and instead will focus their efforts on finding a local resolution with the Harris County constables whose budgets were cut. The dollar amounts analyzed have not changed, but […]
Fiscal Notes: Higher Education Enrollment Decline Spurs Proposals
Texas’ booming economy requires highly skilled workers, but higher education enrollment is lagging as the state works to supply qualified employees; about 66,000 fewer students were enrolled in Texas institutions of higher education (IHEs) in fall 2022 than before the COVID-19 pandemic. The enrollment drop is driven by a 10.4 percent decline at public two-year colleges since 2019. In February’s issue of Fiscal Notes, the Comptroller’s office examines the proposals aimed at improving enrollment in Texas IHEs. […]
Comptroller Glenn Hegar Distributes $1.3 Billion in Monthly Sales Tax Revenue to Local Governments
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced today he will send cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose districts $1.3 billion in local sales tax allocations for February, 9.3 percent more than in February 2022. These allocations are based on sales made in December by businesses that report tax monthly; October, November and December sales by quarterly filers; and 2022 sales by businesses that report tax annually. LOCAL SALES TAX ALLOCATIONS (Feb. 2023) Recipient Feb. 2023 […]
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar Encourages Texans in Panhandle to Monitor New Endangered Species Listing
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar today alerted stakeholders of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) decision to delay implementation of a final rule listing the lesser prairie-chicken as an endangered species. The endangered species listing will impact private landowners and industry stakeholders, including those in energy and agriculture, in the Texas Panhandle. Earlier this month, FWS issued a final rule listing the northern and southern populations of the lesser prairie-chicken as endangered and provided a tailored […]
Texas Comptroller’s Office Awarded $363 Million in Federal Grants to Increase Access to Affordable, High-Speed Internet
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced today his agency will receive $363 million in grants from the federal government to increase access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet to more than 150,000 homes and businesses in Texas. The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the award of $363.8 million for the Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas (BOOT) program, which is a competitive grant application program administered by the Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) housed within the Comptroller’s […]
Comptroller Glenn Hegar Releases Texas Broadband Development Map Identifying Areas Eligible for Funding
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced today the release of the Texas Broadband Development Map, which uses data collected from internet service providers (ISPs) to show the availability of various types of high-speed internet access across Texas. The process for creating the map follows the process used by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create the national broadband map and meets the statutory guidelines established in House Bill 5 passed in the Regular Session of the 87th […]
State Sales Tax Revenue Totaled $3.93 Billion in December
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar today said state sales tax revenue totaled $3.93 billion in December, 10.5 percent more than in December 2021. The majority of December sales tax revenue is based on sales made in November and remitted to the agency in December. “Business spending continued to be the principal driver of growth in sales tax revenue, with rapid growth in receipts from non-retail sectors,” Hegar said. “The mining, construction, wholesale trade, and rental and leasing […]
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar to Release Biennial Revenue Estimate
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar will issue the Biennial Revenue Estimate to the 88th Legislature on Monday, Jan. 9. The Biennial Revenue Estimate reports the amount of revenue available for the Legislature to spend for the fiscal 2024-25 state budget. Hegar will host a virtual news conference at 2 p.m. to discuss the revenue estimate. Members of the media can watch the news conference via Microsoft Teams and submit questions for the Comptroller following the presentation. The Microsoft […]
Taking a Closer Look at Drought and Water Scarcity in Texas
Water is a vital resource necessary to sustain Texas’ rapidly expanding population and thriving economy. This month’s Fiscal Notes explores the effects of drought and highlights the necessity of statewide water planning and the Comptroller’s recent Good for Texas Tour: Water Edition. “Whether in times of drought or flood, responsible water management ensures Texans see water as a resource — not a crisis. Texans around the state are employing innovative strategies to turn our water challenges into opportunities,” says Texas Comptroller […]