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In a January 17th Dear Colleague letter, Senator Debbie Stabenow (DMI), Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, outlined her proposal for strengthening the farm safety net in the 2024 Farm Bill (found here). The proposal centered around five key principles: programs must be targeted to active farmers; we need to provide farmers choices and flexibility;= assistance should be timely; we need to expand the reach of programs to help more farmers; and we need to address the emerging risks farmers face.
Read moreJob said something after his encounter with God that has always stuck with me. He said, 'I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You' (Job 42:5).
Read more(AUSTIN) — Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar today said state sales tax revenue totaled $4.02 billion in January, 2 percent less than in January 2023. The majority of January sales tax revenue is based on sales made in December and remitted to the agency in January. “For the second time since pandemic restrictions were lifted, monthly state sales tax collections fell compared with the same month the year before,” Hegar said. “A contributing factor was higher-than-normal refund activity, but several sectors that have been trending downwards in recent months continued to show weakness in January. “Remittances from the wholesale trade sector were down for the ninth time in 10 months, and receipts from manufacturing were down for the fourth time in five months. Receipts from the oil and gas mining sector were down for the second month in a row. In the major sectors driven primarily by business spending, remittances from the construction sector were the lone positive standout, increasing by mid-single digits compared with a year ago. “Overall, receipts from the consumer-driven retail trade sector were just slightly above last year, but with receipts from most retail subsectors down. Receipts from electronics and appliance stores were down the most, followed by declines from clothing and apparel stores. Remittances from home improvement centers and furniture and home goods stores continued to decline significantly, as has been the case in recent months following the pandemicspurred boom in those categories. Receipts from general merchandisers also fell. Receipts from online merchants were the bright spot among the large retail trade subsectors, with remittances coming in strongly over January 2023 totals. “Receipts from restaurants grew in the mid-single digits and slightly higher than the inflation rate for food away from home.” Total sales tax revenue for the three months ending in January 2024 was up 1.6 percent compared with the same period a year ago. Sales tax is the largest source of state funding for the state budget, accounting for 57 percent of all tax collections. Texas collected the following revenue from other major taxes: ● motor vehicle sales and rental taxes — $618 million, up 9 percent from January 2023; ● motor fuel taxes — $307 million, down 1 percent from January 2023; ● oil production tax — $500 million, up 3 percent from January 2023; ● natural gas production tax — $188 million, down 41 percent from January 2023; ● hotel occupancy tax — $25 million, down 54 percent from January 2023; and ● alcoholic beverage taxes — $154 million, down 1 percent from January 2023.
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The spotlight will be on Gobblers Knob in western Pennsylvania early Friday morning, when handlers of a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil will announce whether he saw his own shadow and predicts six more weeks of winter or an early spring.
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By Jose Jimenez The Brownfield Regional Medical Center recently became the first Leqembi infusion center in Texas after researching and following the drug and its clinical trials.
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Brownfield local Sierra Garza competed in the Miss Lubbock competition Sunday night. She received the Miss Congeniality award, which her peers awarded for being the most congenial, charismatic, and inspirational pageant participant.
Read moreA standoff at an Eagle Pass park continues as the Department of Homeland Security has sent a second letter to Gov. Greg Abbott demanding access to the Rio Grande park that is now under state control.
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