Ahead of the 2013 legislative session, lawmakers have filed nearly 200 fewer bills than they had filed at the same point two years ago. Use our bill tracker to follow the process, learn more about the proposals or see what your representative has filed so far.
Brandi Grissom
Brandi Grissom worked at the Tribune from its launch in 2009 until 2014, rising to the rank of managing editor. In addition to editing duties, Grissom led the Tribune's coverage of criminal justice issues. During her tenure at the Tribune, she was chosen as a 2012 City University of New York Center on Media, Crime and Justice/H.F. Guggenheim Journalism Fellow and was a fellow at the 2012 Journalist Law School at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Grissom, along with Tribune multimedia producer Justin Dehn, received a 2012 regional Edward R. Murrow Award for investigative reporting for work on the case of Megan Winfrey, who was acquitted of murder in February 2013 after the Trib’s coverage brought statewide attention the case. Grissom joined the Tribune after four years at the El Paso Times, where she acted as a one-woman Capitol bureau. Grissom won the Associated Press Managing Editors First-Place Award in 2007 for using the Freedom of Information Act to report stories on a variety of government programs and entities, and the ACLU of Texas named her legislative reporter of the year in 2007 for her immigration reporting. She previously served as managing editor at The Daily Texan and has worked for the Alliance Times-Herald, the Taylor Daily Press, the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung and The Associated Press. A native of Alliance, Neb., she has a degree in history from the University of Texas.
Posted inState Government
Bohac’s “Merry Christmas Bill” Focuses on Public Schools
A bill filed by state Rep. Dwayne Bohac, R-Houston, would free public schools from concerns that displays of Christmas cheer could land them in a county court.
Posted inState Government
Updated: Norwood Trial in Morton Murder Set for March
Mark Norwood’s capital murder trial has been set for March in San Angelo. His lawyers sought the delay so they could find experts to review DNA evidence the state says links him to Christine Morton’s 1986 murder.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Death Row Population at Its Lowest Since 1989
Mirroring a national trend, death sentences in Texas have declined over the last decade. Death sentences have fallen 75 percent since 2002, according to a new report. And the Texas death row population is the lowest in more than 20 years.
Posted in
State Government
Whitmire, Union Pushing for Some Prison Closures
State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, and a union that represents prison employees hope to make more history in 2013, suggesting the potential closure of two privately run prison facilities in Dallas and in Mineral Wells.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Bill Would Restrict Informant Testimony in Death Penalty Cases
Reform advocates argue that a bill banning “snitch” testimony would help prevent wrongful convictions. But critics of the measure say that current rules protect defendants and that eliminating such testimony could tie prosecutors’ hands.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Father Cleared of Murder Charges Asks Why His Daughter is Still in Prison
Megan Winfrey has watched as her father and brother were released from jail because the dog-scent evidence used in the murder case against them was deemed faulty. But she remains in prison, awaiting a ruling on her plea for acquittal.
Posted inState Government
AG Says DNA Tests Further Implicate Hank Skinner in 1993 Murders
In an advisory filed in state district court on Wednesday, the Texas attorney general’s office says DNA test results further confirm Hank Skinner’s guilt. The death row inmate’s lawyer says it’s too early to draw conclusions.
Posted inState Government
Updated: Norwood Indicted by Grand Jury In Second Austin Murder
Mark Norwood, the Bastrop dishwasher who was arrested one year ago for the 1986 murder of Christine Morton, was indicted by a Travis County grand jury on Friday for the January 1988 murder of Debra Masters Baker in Austin.
Posted in
State Government
Speaker Candidate Hughes Promises to Decentralize Power
State Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola and a candidate for speaker of the House, promised his colleagues on Thursday that he will decentralize power in the lower chamber if he is elected.
