Days before she became Gov. Rick Perry’s chief of staff, Ann Bishop — already the highest-paid executive officer at a state agency — received a $162,500 bonus from the Employees Retirement System, records show.
Jay Root
Jay Root is an award-winning journalist who reported for the Tribune from 2011 to 2020. He covered the dramatic collapse of Gov. Rick Perry’s 2012 presidential campaign and went on to write an ebook about it called “Oops! A Diary from the 2012 Campaign Trail.” Root also broke the story that put the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, on the path toward criminal indictment, co-wrote an exposé that brought an end to privately funded prosecutions in Travis County, and authored a series of watchdog articles that prompted a wave of firings and resignations at two major state agencies.
In 2017, Root co-directed “Beyond The Wall,” a film exploring border politics in the age of Trump, which won a national Edward R. Murrow award for best news documentary. Root’s latest film, “Border Hustle,” was released in early 2019 and reveals how desperate migrants have become cash cows on both sides of the border.
Previously, for a dozen years, Root was Austin bureau chief of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he chronicled the rise of then-Gov. George W. Bush, wrote about cartel violence in Mexico and covered Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. During a three-year stint at the Associated Press, Root was twice named AP Staff Reporter of the Year for his watchdog reporting, including a story that sparked felony charges against a sitting state representative.
Posted in
Politics
Watchdogs: Ethics Law Loopholes Leave Public in Dark About Lobby Perks
Whether it’s lobbyists’ spending on legislators or lawmakers who don’t disclose their spouses’ interests on personal financial statements, Texas ethics laws are full of holes.
Posted inState Government
A-List Lobbyists Disclosed Little After Swanky Parties
Lobbyists Andrea and Dean McWilliams are big entertainers, and they don’t mind sharing details of their big soirees with society magazines. But they haven’t disclosed much of it to the Texas Ethics Commission.
Posted inState Government
Report: Tax Dollars Pay for Big Screens
More controversy has erupted over a state tax incentive program after a Houston television station reported that it was used to buy “big screens for billionaires.”
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Bidness As Usual
Pension Privacy Gets Attention of Legislators
Texas’ public pension systems — including the one state lawmakers pay into — have an airtight exemption from the landmark 1973 sunshine law that was designed to let taxpayers known how public money is being spent. But some lawmakers want to change that.
Posted inState Government
Perry Confronts New Challenges With New Team
Rick Perry heads into another legislative session, and possibly a 2014 re-election campaign, without many of the trusted aides who helped turn him into a Texas powerhouse. Do they know something we don’t know?
Posted in
Economy
Watson Has Tough Words for Combs, Tax Subsidy Programs
Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, criticized Republican Comptroller Susan Combs on Wednesday, saying she had a “cavalier” approach to doling out millions of dollars in tax incentives, including the award eventually granted to the promoters of F1 auto racing.
Posted in
Economy
Ethics Commission Declines to Raise Legislators’ Session Pay
There will be no pay raise for legislators this year. The Texas Ethics Commission, at the urging of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus, declined to raise the per diem payments lawmakers get when they’re in session.
Posted inState Government
Updated: Straus Offers Details on Transparency Panel
House Speaker Joe Straus says a new Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations will delve into the finances, compensation packages and public-private partnerships across state government
Posted in
Bidness As Usual
Texas Ethics Reform: A Long, Tortured History
From Gov. James “Pa” Ferguson’s impeachment to the Sharpstown scandal, Texas has weathered mighty ethics controversies. Despite reforms, the Legislature still faces criticism over lax disclosure rules and ties with lobbyists.
