Two days after an advocate for a bill establishing a commission to review wrongful convictions lashed out at a state senator who voiced opposition to the bill, the measure’s Senate sponsor says he doesn’t have the votes to move the legislation forward.
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 in
Criminal Justice
Morton Act, Prosecutor Accountability Bill Head to Governor
House lawmakers on Tuesday approved two bills meant to ensure that wrongful convictions, like the one that Michael Morton behind bars for nearly 25 years, don’t happen to others. The measures will stop next on Gov. Rick Perry’s desk.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Discovery Bill Vote Comes on Brady Anniversary
On the 50th anniversary of the landmark Brady v. Maryland decision, the Texas House is set to vote on a law that some legal experts say would ensure that the ruling’s tenets are carried out to help prevent wrongful convictions.
Posted in
Bidness As Usual
Lobbyist Transparency Bill Heads to Perry’s Desk
A transparency bill that would require lobbyists to disclose the names of lawmakers who pay them using campaign funds for services, including political consulting, is headed to Gov. Rick Perry’s desk.
Posted in
State Government
Abbott: Spending Limit Includes Rainy Day Fund
Spending from the state’s Rainy Day Fund does, in fact, count against a constitutional limit on growth in the state budget, Attorney General Greg Abbott advised on Thursday.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
House Backs Prison Bill That Diverges From Senate Measure
The House on Monday approved a bill that allows the state’s sprawling prison system to continue operations but doesn’t specifically shutter two privately operated lockups that legislators in the upper chamber have voted to close.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
House Panel Hears Testimony on “Michael Morton Act”
Just more than a week after the arrest of former prosecutor Ken Anderson, a committee of House lawmakers took up the “Michael Morton Act,” which would require prosecutors to turn over evidence to defense lawyers in criminal cases.
Posted in
Bidness As Usual
Legislators Dip Into Campaign Accounts to Boost Their Staff’s Pay
Lawmakers spend thousands of dollars from their campaign accounts to supplement the salaries of their staffs. It’s a legal and long-standing practice, but some ethics experts say it presents the potential for conflict.
Posted in
Public Education
Plan to Expand Charter Schools Clears Senate
A significantly altered version of Senate Education Chairman Dan Patrick’s legislation expanding the state’s charter school system quickly passed out of the upper chamber Thursday afternoon.
Posted in
Health care
Senate Passes Unemployment Drug-Testing Bill
Under a bill by Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, applicants for unemployment benefits could be subject to drug testing if their responses to a questionnaire raise red flags.
