For the seventh time since he became governor in 2000, Gov. Rick Perry will appear before a joint session of the Texas Senate and House on Tuesday to deliver his biennial State of the State speech.
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.
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Bidness As Usual
Weak Disclosure Laws Keep Public in the Dark
Ethics reformers are looking to overhaul the personal financial statements state lawmakers must file. The form doesn’t ask for much detail, hasn’t been updated in years and has led to confusion and varying interpretations about what must be revealed.
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Bidness As Usual
Pension, Gas Investment Boost Perry’s Income
Thanks to his state pension — the subject of double-dipping controversy — and the sale of an interest in gas wells, Gov. Rick Perry got a pay bump in 2011, according to tax returns he provided to the Tribune.
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State Government
Slideshow: Whitmire’s 40 Years in the Lege
Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, served 10 years in the Texas House before becoming the longest-serving member of the Texas Senate. Here’s a photographic look back at the dean of the Senate’s 40 years in elected office in Texas.
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Bidness As Usual
For Dean of Senate, Public and Private Blur
Critics say the dean of the Texas Senate, John Whitmire, D-Houston, is a poster boy for a legislative culture in which real and perceived conflicts of interest are commonplace. Whitmire says he’s proud of his four decades in office.
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Bidness As Usual
Slideshow: Sen. John Whitmire Through the Years
Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, served 10 years in the Texas House before becoming the longest-serving member of the Texas Senate. Here’s a photographic look back at the dean of the Senate’s 40 years in elected office in Texas.
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State Government
Bill Would Ban “Double-Dipping” by Politicians
State Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, says he’s found the perfect way for elected officials to put their money where there mouths are when it comes to exercising fiscal restraint: ban “double-dipping” by politicians.
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State Government
Dewhurst, Straus, Perry See Opportunity to Take Up Tax Relief in Session
In a joint appearance Wednesday, Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus seemed to agree that taxes would go down. Meanwhile, none would commit to restoring education cuts from last session.
Posted inState Government
Perry: Don’t Start Making Plans to Spend Surplus
Gov. Rick Perry warned Texas lawmakers not to start making grand plans for the multibillion-dollar budget surplus and the growing Rainy Day Fund.
Posted inState Government
Year in Review: Politics
Gov. Rick Perry’s strikingly disastrous presidential bid, U.S. Sen.-elect Ted Cruz’s surprisingly successful campaign and a Legislature full of fresh faces were among the top political stories of 2012. Jay Root and Ross Ramsey take a look back.