With a bill topping $77,000, Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, spent the most on travel and daily stipends of any state senator from Jan. 1, 2008, to May 1, 2009.

On the low end, Sen. Kirk Watson spent the least on stipends and travel. The Austin Democrat spent more than $21,000.

That's according to the numbers I crunched while working on… Continue

We've posted a new story this morning about how some Texas state senators are using taxpayer funds to travel in style. Some story highlights:

* Sen. Mario Gallegos, D-Houston, who went on a $3,000 seven-day junket in Maui, staying at a hotel boasting a spa that "sets a new standard for head-to-toe pampering in paradise."

* Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, w… Continue

Texas Watchdog has a new story out today, about an ethics loophole that allows Houston ISD trustees to keep private meals, tickets and entertainment received from school vendors if the vendor also goes to the event.

So, in other words, if I want to supply the school district with new tires for their fleet of buses, and I want to tell the trustees how great my company's tires are over a steak dinner, I can do that, and the public may never know. I can also take the trustees to a Rockets game or… Continue

If you missed Trent TV last Tuesday, you can still check it out at texaswatchdog.org or at newmediatv.org. The Texas Watchdog staff discussed tips for backgrounding candidates in this free webinar for citizen-journalists, activists and journalists.

Houston mayoral candidate Gene Locke’s law firm has made more than a half-million dollars in the past three years from a government agency that is looking at a $4 million bailout from county taxpayers — and his election to the city’s top post could present a conflict of interest for him. Read more here.