🟪 Travis County judge OKs funding plan for Austin Convention Center expansion (KUT)

🟪 City names Michael “Mac” Cummins Director of Austin Economic Development (City of Austin)

🟪 Austin ISD reduces budget by $205 million for next school year, but keeps librarians on campuses (KUT)

🟪 San Marcos council votes to prohibit data centers citywide after reconsidering earlier proposal (KXAN)

🟪 Rollingwood to consider implementing surveillance technology (Community Impact)

🟪 Austin Regional Manufacturers Association hires new executive director (Austin Business Journal)

READ ON!

Last week, I joined the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce's Access Singapore delegation as part of the broader Access Asia mission.

Together with fellow business leaders and senior City of Austin officials, we spent the week meeting with leaders across government, technology, infrastructure, aviation, sustainability, and advanced manufacturing. .

The timing of the mission was particularly significant. It served as a next step in activating the landmark Memorandum of Understanding signed between the City of Austin and Enterprise Singapore in 2025.

That relationship has continued to gain momentum, including the opening of Enterprise Singapore's Austin office earlier this year, further strengthening ties between Central Texas and one of the world's leading hubs for innovation, investment, and trade.

Looking forward to bringing a number of ideas, connections, and perspectives back to Austin and Central Texas!

✅ Travis County judge OKs funding plan for Austin Convention Center expansion (KUT)

After a legal challenge, the city of Austin can move forward with a plan to help fund the expansion of the Austin Convention Center. Travis County District Court Judge Sherine Thomas ruled Thursday that Austin’s financial plan for the project is lawful, according to court documents.

Last month, the Austin City Council approved issuing up to $1.35 billion in bonds to move the project forward. The city’s plan includes the use of hotel occupancy tax funds, fees paid by people staying overnight in hotels, motels and short-term rentals, to help pay down that debt.

Thursday's ruling means the project can move forward as planned. In a statement, a city spokesperson said "the City appreciated the Court's thoughtful consideration of the issues."

Earlier this week, Thomas oversaw a hearing which included city and state officials, as well as members of the public who opposed using hotel occupancy tax funds for the project… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ City names Michael “Mac” Cummins Director of Austin Economic Development (City of Austin)

The City of Austin has appointed Michael “Mac” Cummins as the next Director of Austin Economic Development, bringing a seasoned executive with 27 years of municipal leadership experience to help guide the department’s work supporting businesses, workers, entrepreneurs, creatives, and community partners across Austin. Cummins will officially begin his role on July 27, 2026. 

Cummins has led major economic development, planning, and community investment efforts in fast-growing cities and regions across the country. His background includes business retention and expansion, transit-oriented development, urban renewal districts, tax increment financing, affordable housing financial strategies, tourism and convention planning, capital improvements, permitting and entitlement processes, and public-private partnerships… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin ISD reduces budget by $205 million for next school year, but keeps librarians on campuses (KUT)

The Austin Independent School District board was planning to discuss and vote on around $185 million in cuts to its next budget. But a last second change raised that number to $205 million. The budget was approved on a vote of 7 to 1. One trustee abstained.

During a last-minute conversation, trustees amended the budget to make sure all AISD campuses have a full-time librarian. The change includes a nearly $1 million investment that will come from the district's fund balance, its savings account.

District officials added another $20 million in cuts after trustees had asked them to ensure the district's fund balance was not drained lower than 10% of its operating budget. The fund balance helps the district make payroll if revenues come in late or helps during unexpected situations such as severe weather events… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ San Marcos council votes to prohibit data centers citywide after reconsidering earlier proposal (KXAN)

The San Marcos City Council voted Tuesday night to prohibit data centers in all zoning districts within the city.

The amendment passed in a 4-3 vote after council members agreed to reconsider a proposal that had previously failed earlier this year.

“I think the biggest concern is that it is very difficult to find firm answers. There is a lack of transparency coming from developers and the conversation is constantly and rapidly evolving,” said Alyssa Garza, San Marcos City Council Member and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem.

Council Member Amanda Rodriguez first introduced the amendment in March, seeking to prohibit data centers citywide. At the time, the proposal received support from Council Members Shane Scott and Alyssa Garza but did not receive enough votes to pass… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Rollingwood to consider implementing surveillance technology (Community Impact)

A new audit from the city of Austin says the city has made significant efforts to improve Rollingwood City Council discussed potentially implementing surveillance technology and authorizing a request for proposals for cameras and surveillance infrastructure at a June 17 City Council meeting.

As Austin introduces a new process for obtaining surveillance technology, Rollingwood is weighing whether surveillance technology can help law enforcement monitor public spaces and respond to incidents more effectively while balancing residents' concerns about privacy and data security.

Although no action surrounding the ordinance or request for proposals was taken at the meeting, council members emphasized the importance of ensuring privacy and security protections while also weighing the benefits of surveillance systems.

"If we take certain precautions with the data and with how the cameras are used ... and most importantly, in my mind, if we can have a system that has real-time monitoring capabilities within our police vehicles ... It is a force multiplier if one or two cruisers can monitor five or six different locations at 2 or 3 in the morning,” Mayor Gavin Massingill said. “That’s what I think makes this pill worth swallowing.”… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin Regional Manufacturers Association hires new executive director (Austin Business Journal)

The Austin Regional Manufacturers Association has a new leader. 

The trade group that represents manufacturers in the Austin region announced on June 10 it hired Molly Young-Merritt as executive director. 

“I am grateful for the opportunity to join ARMA at a time when manufacturing is central to the region’s growth and opportunity,” Young-Merritt said in a statement. “I look forward to working with members, partners, and the Board to strengthen the workforce pipeline, support advocacy that reflects the needs of manufacturers, and build connections that advance shared priorities for employers and communities.”

Manufacturing has become an increasingly important and large component of the Austin economy. Opportunity Austin estimates the Austin region has over 240 advanced manufacturing companies that employ more than 50,000 people. It’s likely the manufacturing sector of the Austin economy will continue to grow. Several major companies like SpaceX and Samsung have recently made commitments to expand their operations in the region… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Texas job growth climbs with 17,800 jobs added in May (Houston Chronicle)

Texas added more than 17,000 new jobs last month as the state continues to outpace the nation in growth. The state added 17,800 positions in May, according to the Texas Workforce Commission, bringing the total number of nonfarm jobs in the state to more than 14.4 million. Texas has added 98,000 new jobs in the last year, putting the state's growth rate at 0.7% since last May. The national growth rate in that time is just 0.3%.

"The addition of more than 17,000 positions in May highlights the industriousness of Texas employers and expanding opportunities for Texas’ highly skilled workforce,” said TWC Chairman Joe Esparza in a statement. “Driven by our entrepreneurial spirit, Texas continues to outpace the nation in job growth, and TWC offers a wide variety of programs to maintain this momentum.”

The state's job growth is aided in part by the continued expansion of its labor force, which grew by 6,800 people last month. Texas's employment numbers so far this year reflect a bounceback from 2025, when political uncertainty, declining immigration and higher tariffs led to stagnant job growth in the state and nation, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

The Dallas Fed expects year-over-year job growth of about 1.1% by the end of 2026, an improvement from last year but still "well below" the state's historical average of about 2%. The trade, transportation, and utilities industry led the state in job growth last month with 7,100 new jobs. The leisure and hospitality industry added 3,900 jobs, while the mining and logging field added 3,800. The construction industry posted the highest growth rate for the 22nd straight month, growing by 2.1% in May… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Texas Democrats seek unity at state convention without Jasmine Crocket (Dallas Morning News)

Texas Democrats will gather next week in Corpus Christi, seeking to project unity and build momentum behind state Rep. James Talarico's Senate campaign. One of the party's most recognizable stars won't be there. U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas, who lost a hard-fought Senate primary to Talarico in March, told The Dallas Morning News she does not plan to attend the state convention and instead is focusing on helping down-ballot candidates across the country.

Crockett also said she’s not sure whether Democrats, particularly Black voters, have united fully behind Talarico and the rest of the ticket. She said the lack of a Black nominee for major statewide office could dampen enthusiasm among some voters.

“I've not heard a bunch of kumbaya,” she said. “People don't seem to be convinced at this point, but there's a lot of time between now and November.” Asked whether she would actively support Talarico's campaign, Crockett said: “I have no idea. I am more focused on down-ballot races in general.” Crockett’s absence from the convention reflects a lingering divide between her and Talarico, who served together in the Texas House and became rivals during the hotly contested Senate race. He faces Republican Ken Paxton in November. She said she received what she described as an “afterthought invite” on June 8 from Talarico, based on the preview message on her cell phone.

“I had a missed call that I've not returned, nor have I listened to the message from Talarico,” Crockett told The News. “It seemed like an afterthought invite. I can't say for sure, because I haven't listened to it.” According to Talarico’s campaign, he called Crockett and left a message suggesting she make the keynote speech at the convention. In a statement to The News, Talarico said that “Texans are coming together…to do something extraordinary.”… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Paxton breaks with Texas GOP’s anti-IVF platform, saying he supports the procedure (Texas Tribune)

Attorney General and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton broke with his state party’s opposition to in-vitro fertilization Thursday, calling himself a “strong supporter” of the fertility treatment. “Strong families are the foundation of a strong nation,” Paxton said in a statement shared exclusively with The Texas Tribune. “Every child is a blessing, and every family hoping to welcome a child deserves support and compassion. I am a strong supporter of IVF and pro-family policies that help Americans experience the wonders of parenthood.”

Paxton’s support puts him in the same camp as President Donald Trump, but on the opposite side of the issue as the Republican Party of Texas. The state party, in a platform and legislative priorities adopted last weekend at its Houston convention, called on lawmakers to “protect fetal life from destructive practices, such as IVF and commercial surrogacy.”

Another plank of the state GOP platform states that the party opposes “public funding for procedures that destroy embryonic life, including IVF”, and called for regulation to prevent “embryo discarding, eugenic practices and commodification of human life.” But Paxton’s campaign said he would work to safeguard IVF if elected to the U.S. Senate. The Republican nominee supports the IVF Protection Act, a bill from Sens. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to bar Medicaid funding for any state that bans IVF. Paxton will cosponsor the bill if elected. Paxton had taken heat from Democratic nominee James Talarico’s campaign over the Texas GOP’s stated opposition to IVF. Polling on IVF finds the treatment to be highly popular; a 2024 Pew Research Center survey found 70% of Americans say access to IVF is a good thing, while only 8% say it’s bad. But while high-level Republicans, including President Donald Trump, are supportive of IVF, the treatment is divisive among conservative activists and abortion opponents.

The fertility treatment was thrust into the political spotlight in 2024 when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children, under a state law extending rights to “unborn children,” and that fertility clinics could be found liable for wrongful death if embryos are destroyed. The ruling immediately chilled IVF access in the state, with several providers pausing treatments. Top Republicans came out in support of IVF, including then-candidate Trump, and Alabama’s Republican Legislature quickly passed a law shielding IVF providers and patients from civil and criminal liability for embryo destruction, allowing the state’s clinics to resume fertility treatments… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Public Utility Commission of Texas finalizes new data center standards (Houston Public Media)

The Public Utility Commission of Texas on Thursday approved stricter standards for data centers looking to connect to the state's power grid — the final step in the development of new regulations meant to weed out speculative projects. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, which operates the state's main power grid, approved the new standards earlier this month, before passing them onto the Public Utility Commission for final approval. When large energy consumers want to join the state's power grid, ERCOT will now evaluate them in a group study, rather than individually. ERCOT says it will notify applicants for the first study, known as “Batch Zero,” in August.

The study will prioritize projects that are further along in the development process, and require large energy users to post a financial security equal to $50,000 per megawatt of the proposed project in order to be included. "This new process represents a fundamental shift in how ERCOT manages the significant growth of large load interconnection, providing a structured, transparent path forward that protects reliability for Texans while supporting the state’s continued economic growth," ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas said in a news release. Data centers and other large energy consumers looking to connect to the grid are requesting five times the amount of power used to power the entire state during record-breaking demand. ERCOT is trying to figure out which data centers are actually ready to build in Texas — and what infrastructure will be needed to connect them to the power grid. Bryan Clark, a partner at the global energy firm Bracewell LLP, said unprecedented economic growth has created a need for Texas to build more transmission infrastructure — such as power lines and transformers. "I think it’s both organic to the data center industry but also just unprecedented economic growth in Texas," he said. Jared Berg, another partner at Bracewell, said the state's clear standards are part of the reason data centers are flocking to Texas. "Why is there so much industrial load that’s attracted to the state?" he said. "It’s because we have that inclination to set the rules of the road and make it clear so that companies know how to operate and the right way to operate."… 🟪 (READ MORE)