FBI, IRS agents raid state Sen. Carlos Uresti's law offices
FBI and IRS agents raided the law offices of Texas Sen. Carlos Uresti on Thursday morning, confiscating documents and other items. Full Story
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![Law enforcement officers from the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service raid the San Antonio office of state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, on Feb. 16, 2017.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: A lavish benefit for Texas lawmakers could get even bigger
Regulators are deciding how much lobby wining and dining Texas lawmakers can accept without revealing their names. Hint: It's a lot. Full Story
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![State senators and staff listen to testimony at a Senate Committee on State Affairs hearing reviewing current ethics laws governing public officials and employees on Oct, 5, 2016.]()
Credit: Qiling Wang for The Texas Tribune -
Ethics commission ends long-running probe into Empower Texans
The Texas Ethics Commission on Thursday voted to end a long-running investigation into one of the state's most influential conservative groups. Full Story
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![Michael Quinn Sullivan, president and CEO of Empower Texans and Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, at a 2012 Texas Tribune event.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Analysis: In Texas, Lawmakers Regulate Their Own Regulators
The Texas Ethics Commission regulates legislators. Legislators control the commission's laws and budget. It's a complicated relationship. Full Story
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![State Sens. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, and Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, listen to testimony at a Senate Committee on State Affairs hearing reviewing current ethics laws governing public officials and employees on Oct, 5, 2016.]()
Credit: Qiling Wang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senator Calls State Ethics Commission "Arrogant" and "Haughty"
“If you are untouchable, we’ve got a problem,” Sen. Brian Birdwell told the chairman of the commission, which is charged with making sure public officials and campaigns obey state ethics and elections laws. Full Story
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![State Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, listens to testimony at a Senate Committee on State Affairs hearing reviewing current ethics laws governing public officials and employees on Oct, 5, 2016.]()
Credit: Qiling Wang for the Texas Tribune -
Analysis: "Smitty," a Texas Lobbyist for the Small Fry, Hanging It Up
Tom “Smitty” Smith, a colorful lobbyist and liberal activist who turned Public Citizen Texas into a strong voice on environmental, utility, consumer and ethics issues, is hanging up his spurs after 31 years. Full Story
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![Tom "Smitty" Smith is retiring from his longtime role as head of Public Citizen Texas, a nonprofit, left-leaning consumer rights advocacy group.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond -
Ethics Commissioner Says He Won't Heed Patrick's Call to Resign
A member of the Texas Ethics Commission is rejecting what he says was an effort by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to get him to resign. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at a May 13, 2016 press conference.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Analysis: Texas Might Let Political Radio Ads Run Disclaimer-Free, But Feds Won't
The state of Texas might not be requiring sponsorship disclosures on political radio ads right now, but the Federal Communications Commission is. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Jacob Villanueva -
Analysis: Unaccountably Free Political Speech, for a Few Weeks in Texas
A regulatory wrinkle could strip an important piece of information from the political radio ads you hear in Texas between now and Election Day: Who’s paying for the commercials? Full Story
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Credit: John Jordan -
Texas Ethics Commission Chases "Campaign in a Box" Spending
Commissioners are trying to open so-called “campaign in a box” disclosures, where candidates report their spending on consultants — but not on the specific campaign services those consultants are providing. Full Story
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Analysis: Hiding Texas Campaign Spending Details, Legally
The state is trying to regulate what some have called the “campaign in a box,” when a candidate reports writing one big check to a consultant, who then handles all of the campaign spending off the books. Full Story
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![The Texas Ethics Commission is considering rules that would require political consultants to report their spending in the same way that candidates are required to do.]()
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The Long and Winding Road to the Texas Ethics Commission
It's harder to appoint people to the Texas Ethics Commission than to other agencies. The politics are difficult. But it's also easy to just let it slide — and let commissioners serve for years after their terms end. Full Story
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Credit: John Jordan -
More than 300 Gubernatorial Appointees Have Expired Terms
Gov. Greg Abbott has made hundreds of appointments since he took office in January 2015, but is still working his way out of a backlog to replace people whose terms expired as long as five years ago. Full Story
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![Governor Greg Abbott announced an expansion of the Governor’s Commission for Women at the Governor’s Mansion in Austin, TX on Wednesday, March 30th.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles/ Texas Tribune -
Nifty or Shifty: A Campaign Finance Quiz
Politicians like to think of the money in their campaign accounts as their own. It's not, but sometimes, it seems that way. Below are five actual cases where the Texas Ethics Commission has rendered its official position. Take the test: Given these situations, what do you think they can get away with? Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Anneke Paterson -
On Way Out of Office, Some Lawmakers Keep Spending Campaign Cash
If Texas Sen. Troy Fraser is looking for a country music song to describe his recent months in office, “I’ve Been Everywhere” might do the trick. Full Story
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![Sen. Troy Fraser R-Horseshoe Bay on floor April 23]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Analysis: Ethics Reform on the Table — if Texas Voters Really Want It
The governor and lawmakers promise to reignite their efforts to tighten ethics laws in Texas, but they have so far been missing a key incentive to make reluctant officeholders go along: public interest. Full Story
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Credit: Shelby Knowles / Todd Wiseman -
Analysis: Is Attorney General Ken Paxton Feeling Lucky?
It’s possible to imagine a way for the attorney general to raise money for a legal defense fund, but it’s perilous without a favorable advisory opinion from ethics regulators. And they decided this week not to approve such an opinion. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is shown at a news conference in Austin on Jan. 13, 2016, to announce a new unit of the attorney general’s office dedicated to combating human trafficking.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles/ Texas Tribune -
Ethics Commission: Paxton May Not Accept Out-of-State Donations to Pay for Legal Fees
A Texas Ethics Commission opinion that would have allowed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to fund his ongoing legal battle through out-of-state donors failed to pass by one vote Monday. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton at an open government conference in San Marcos on Dec. 9, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Analysis: Ken Paxton's Complications Multiply
Nobody’s going to force you to feel sorry for Ken Paxton, but the Republican attorney general’s political persecutions have turned into criminal prosecutions — and they are multiplying. Full Story
![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton at an open government conference in San Marcos on Dec. 9, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Texas Gets a D- Grade in 2015 State Integrity Investigation
Texas ranked 38th out of 50 in the latest State Integrity Investigation, an assessment of government accountability and transparency. That suggests that the state may be heading in the wrong direction when it comes to ethics. Full Story
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![Governor Perry delivers a final speech to a joint session of the Texas legislature on Jan. 15, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich