William Lutz, Texas Workforce Commission

About our speaker

William Lutz is a dedicated public servant with a thoughtful understanding of the Texas economy, an encyclopedic knowledge of Texas state government and politics, and a gift for explaining the complex clearly.

He currently works as an economist at the Labor Market and Career Information Department of the Texas Workforce Commission, assisting a wide range of agency customers in finding and understanding labor market data. At TWC, he previously coordinated an agricultural prevailing wage survey. Lutz served on the staff of Tom Pauken, former Commissioner Representing Employers at TWC. In that capacity, he assisted the Commissioner with writing, editing, and analysis of education and workforce policy.

Prior to joining the public sector, Lutz worked in the non-profit world. He served as Managing Editor of The Lone Star Report, a weekly newsletter covering Texas government and politics, from 2004-2011 and wrote for the publication since 1998. He wrote about every major policy issue, with a specialty in tax, education, and regulatory issues. Some of the major bills he has covered from beginning to end include the electric utility deregulation bill in 1999; school finance bills in 1999, 2001, and 2006; and the comprehensive tort reform bill from 2003.

In addition to his work with The Lone Star Report, Lutz is widely quoted in Texas newspapers and broadcast outlets statewide. He has appeared regularly on WFAA’s Inside Texas Politics and published many guest opinion pieces in several Texas newspapers, including The Dallas Morning News.

Lutz received his Master of Arts in economics from the University of Washington and his Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Texas at Austin. While a graduate student, he was the opinion editor and later news editor of The Daily of the University of Washington. His specialties are economic analysis, labor market data, prevailing wage surveys, reporting, policy analysis, opinion writing, public education, tax policy, utility policy