Oregon looks to a non-gas 'gas' tax.

Propane is a cheap and clean-burning motor fuel favored by some state and local fleet managers, but two developments in Texas show that when it comes to this alternative fuel, progress is still one step forward and one step back.

In a referendum they passed last November, Floridians gave counties the option of offering residents tax breaks if they built new additions to house their aging parents or grandparents.

State legislatures are putting up less resistance than expected to streamlining sales taxes. So far, 20 states have passed laws aimed at harmonizing their sales tax laws with each other, a key step toward taxing e-commerce. Several more are expected to take up sales tax bills later this year.

Some older cities are playing with an idea that would encourage landowners to develop or sell their 'fallow' lots.