Chris Turner

The Texas House preliminarily approved the requirement that the personal financial statements of state politicians and bureaucrats be posted online. 

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Both Republican and Democratic members of a key legislative oversight committee unloaded on Gov. Greg Abbott’s top health appointee Thursday, putting him and others on the hot seat for hours about alleged contracting abuses.

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After unconfirmed reports that House members were recording private conversations with colleagues, the Republican who oversees internal affairs in the chamber said he's asked members to refrain from any surreptitious taping.

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The Open Government track at The 2015 Texas Tribune Festival featured a panel discussion on public integrity and state government and a conversation over ethics. We also featured a conversation with Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar.

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Now that the massive overhaul contained in Senate Bill 19 has gone on life support, a few targeted efforts to shine the light on conflicts of interest and enhance transparency remain. Here's a guide to what's moving and what's not.

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The House faces a major deadline today; it's the last day to take up contested Senate bills and, as such, the session promises to last until the clock strikes midnight. It doesn't help that a major backlog of controversial legislation awaits House members.

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Legislation passed by the House on Wednesday will prohibit payday lenders and auto title loan businesses from placing telemarketing calls to Texans on the "do not call" list. The measure now heads to the Senate. 

 

 

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The Texas House approved legislation Tuesday that would close the loophole former Gov. Rick Perry once used to begin collecting a lucrative pension without ever having to leave office.

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The Texas House voted overwhelmingly Monday to end the controversial practice of double dipping by longtime politicians who draw state pensions and paychecks at the same time. But a last-minute change clouded exactly to whom the bill would apply. 

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After an overnight debate that veered from polite disagreements to an angry outburst, the Texas House tentatively passed a $210 billion two-year budget early Wednesday morning with a 141 to 5 vote. 

 

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Longtime elected officials would no longer be able to use an obscure perk to boost their take-home pay under a bill that sailed out of a House committee Monday. The proposed double-dipping ban now heads to the House floor.

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Legislation intended to stop some government officials from collecting retirement benefits before leaving office appears to have a better prognosis the second time around.

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Efforts to ban longtime politicians from double-dipping their salaries and their pensions — as former Gov. Rick Perry started doing in 2011 — went nowhere two years ago. But this year the idea is picking up steam.

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Texas and the 33 other states that refused to set up their own insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act are especially vulnerable to an impending U.S. Supreme Court decision.

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On this week's edition of WFAA-TV's Inside Texas Politics, I talked with host Jason Whitely and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Bud Kennedy about the latest UT/TT poll, Eric Cantor, the GOP state platform and more.

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Efforts to ban double dipping by longtime politicians went nowhere in the last legislative session. That could change now that the two leading candidates for governor have expressed support for banning the controversial practice.

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The Longhorns and Sooners won't be the only ones looking for a win this weekend in Dallas. More than 30 Texas legislators are hoping to turn the Red River Rivalry game into campaign cash.

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UPDATED: State Rep. Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs, again attempted to add a measure decoupling legislators' pensions from judges' pay. But the amendment to Senate Bill 1459 was defeated Tuesday.

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An effort to ban "double dipping" by elected officials, a practice brought to light during Gov. Rick Perry's run for president, has gone on life support.

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The obscure law that allows Gov. Rick Perry to collect both his pension and salary was the subject of a hearing Monday. A proposed bill would prevent future state officeholders from using the provision.

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