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Ross Ramsey co-founded The Texas Tribune in 2009 and served as its executive editor until his retirement in 2022. He wrote regular columns on politics, government and public policy. Before joining the Tribune, he was editor and co-owner of Texas Weekly. He did a 28-month stint in government with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Before that, he reported for the Houston Chronicle, the Dallas Times Herald, as a Dallas-based freelancer for regional and national magazines and newspapers, and for radio stations in Denton and Dallas.
For the latest installment of our nonscientific survey of political and policy insiders, we asked whether the full Legislature will go along with a deal to tap the Rainy Day Fund and about how the budget process will finally work out. Full Story
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In our last episode, Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts was about to open his umbrella for a deal that would use $4.3 billion from the Rainy Day Fund to balance the current year's budget, and that was going to happen at the beginning of the week. Full Story
Grissom on threats to re-entry programs for criminals, Hamilton on the tempest over the direction of UT, E. Smith's interview with Joe Straus, Stiles and Chang's new lobbying app, M. Smith and Weber on where state officeholders send their children to school, Aaronson on allowing new nuclear power plants, Aguilar on how Hispanic Republicans are handling immigration issues, Ramshaw talks abortion with Planned Parennthood's Cecile Richards, Tan and Dehn on tapping the Rainy Day Fund and Galbraith on San Antonio and its water: The best of our best content from March 14 to 18, 2011. Full Story
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Dan Neil conceded to Democrat Donna Howard of Austin in the House District 48 race Friday afternoon, just days after a House committee turned back his challenge to the November election results. Full Story
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Legislators have to choose between mobs — one under the Gadsden Flag with the snake and motto “Don’t Tread on Me”, the other a recent phenomenon under signs like, “If you can read this, thank a teacher.” Full Story
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The state's budget outlook is improving and lawmakers will have more money to spend than they thought, Comptroller Susan Combs said in a letter to legislative leaders today. Full Story
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For the latest installment of our nonscientific survey of political and policy insiders, we asked whether there will be special sessions this summer and what issues would force lawmakers into overtime. Full Story
Who will be blamed for what are expected to be enormous cuts in public education funding? There will be blood. It’s undeniable, especially when the governor goes out of his way to say that he doesn’t have any on his hands. Full Story
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Jim Pitts will ask his Appropriations Committee to vote out a supplemental budget bill on Monday to cover the $4.3 billion deficit in the current biennium, and to fund it with money in the state's Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
As they talk of cutting pension contributions and raising premiums for state employee health care and mandating layoffs and furloughs at state agencies, what are lawmakers doing to their own compensation and benefits? Full Story
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