Lobby Watch: Politicians Cower in Payday-Loan Pockets

Predatory lenders stuffed Texas politicians in their back pockets by stuffing nearly $2.5 million in their bank accounts in the last election.  The payday industry is spending up to $3.8 million this legislative session on 77 lobbyists that have so far successfully shredded every meaningful reform bill.

Read the fine print at Lobby Watch.

Lobby Watch: American Phoenix's Ties to Macias Feed Far-Right Conspiracy

The American Phoenix Foundation declines to say who's paying it to pursue compromising videos of Texas lawmakers. Two conservative lawmakers who separately hired American Phoenix founders Joseph and Hannah Basel say political consultant Luke Macias hired the Basels on their behalf.

Lobby Watch's analysis of the clients of Macias Strategies--and who bankrolls their campaigns--will further feed rumors that American Phoenix is targeting moderate Republican lieutenants of House Speaker Joe Straus--rumors that the group denies.

Dig into the conspiracy and the new Lobby Watch.

Watch Your Assets:Eminent-Domain Billionaires Spark West Texas Pipe Lying

The Texas Railroad Commission repeatedly misled the public about its involvement in two controversial gas pipelines.  After repeatedly claiming that it had no role in the project, the Railroad Commission quietly approved permits to allow ETP to condemn the land of hundreds of ranchers. Explaining such takings to the commissioners' xenophobic GOP base could be rough--given that the purpose of the pipelines is to supply gas to Mexico's state-owned electric company. 
 Read the Watch Your Assets report.

Watch Your Assets Report:Abbott Confronts Contracting Crisis

The contracting reforms that Gov. Greg Abbott issued in January appear to have had such limited impact that they probably would not have prevented the 21CT scandal that prompted them. Public-Information records from 13 state agencies suggest that such policies already were in place at many agencies, according to TPJ’s new report.
Read the new Watch Your Assets report.