Watch Your Assets: How Midland Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Corporate Dole
Jun 12, 2008 - In 2001 Midland's conservative voters swallowed concerns about government economic planning to approve a tax to promote economic development and diversification. The Midland Development Corp. has awarded millions of tax dollars to handpicked companies to diversify the city's dependence on oil. However, these big-ticket investments have been spectacular flops. Now the agency increasingly invests in the booming oil industry -- which needs no government aid.
Read the new report

Dallas DA's Gift Solicitations Questioned
Jun 3, 2008 - Texans for Public Justice and Public Citizen leveled criticism at the Dallas County District Attorney's office for soliciting gifts for staff members from Dallas area businesses.
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View the story and documents at Fox 4 Dallas

"Watch Your Assets: Privatizing the Lottery Raises Gambling Stakes"
Mar 26, 2008 - Last year Governor Rick Perry proposed selling or leasing the Texas Lottery to collect a quick payout of somewhere between $14 billion and $20 billion. Projections that the financial and gambling industries have submitted to the governor's office make clear that the state cannot raise a payout of this size unless gambling is significantly expanded in the state.
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New Report Tracks Supremes' Spending Habits
Mar 12, 2008 - A new study of political expenditures by the nine members of the Texas Supreme Court finds troubling evidence that justices are misusing political funds.
Read the Supreme Spending report.

TPJ Files Complaint with DA
Feb 11, 2008 - Today Texans for Public Justice filed a complaint with Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle against Speaker Tom Craddick and the Texas Jobs PAC.
Read the press release
Read the complaint

Watch Your Assets: Lax Oversight Plagues Private Prisons in Texas
Feb 6, 2008 - A key failing of Texas' 20-year private prison stampede, which costs the state over $200 million a year, is that the state has failed to monitor basic performance data on its private prisons. As a result it has no reliable way to weed out private prisons that are too costly or too mired in abuse.
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BP Judge Asks Victims for More Information
Feb 6, 2008 - At the conclusion of the Feb. 4 hearing to review the BP plea agreement, the judge asked the victims' attorneys to provide her with more information supporting their call for a larger fine, delaying a final ruling. Read media coverage of the hearing

Plea Deal For BP Explosion Under Fire
Jan 28, 2008 - Victims, legal scholars, safety proponents and consumer advocates are denouncing a pending plea deal between the Bush Justice Department and BP Products North America to settle criminal felony charges arising from a deadly explosion at the oil giant's Texas City refinery that killed 15 workers.
Read the press release

New Report Dissects Spending Habits of Texas Pols
Jan 17, 2008 - During the first half of 2007, which was off-season for Texas political campaigns, state lawmakers and top state officials spent $9.5 million in political funds. TPJ's analysis of where politicians blew all this money finds that some officials are using their campaign accounts to enhance their personal lifestyles, from lavish apartment rentals to high-flying travel on corporate jets.
Read the Capitol Spending report

New Report: Texas PACs Hit Record Spending
Oct 25, 2007 - Fueled by an election headlined by four well-funded gubernatorial candidates, an unprecedented 1,132 Texas political action committees (PACs) spent a record $99 million on the 2006 Texas elections. This spending marked a 16 percent increase over the preceding gubernatorial election in 2002.
Read the Texas PACs Report