The latest Texas Ethics Commission news from The Texas Tribune.
Texas' financial disclosure practices for lawmakers may not be as thorough as ethics experts would like them to be. But the path Texas has taken to reach its guidelines puts it ahead of many other states. Use our interactive to see how Texas stacks up. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/04/Bidness-Disclosure-States.jpg)
There will be no pay raise for legislators this year. The Texas Ethics Commission, at the urging of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus, declined to raise the per diem payments lawmakers get when they're in session. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Dewhurst-Straus-Close.jpg)
From Gov. James "Pa" Ferguson's impeachment to the Sharpstown scandal, Texas has weathered mighty ethics controversies. Despite reforms, the Legislature still faces criticism over lax disclosure rules and ties with lobbyists. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Bidness-Ethics-History.jpg)
The Texas Ethics Commission's board has approved an advisory opinion that stops short of recommending against lawmakers soliciting contributions for nonprofit organizations they are employed by. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Capitol-MoneyBags_1.jpg)
The Texas Ethics Commission’s board convenes Thursday to choose new leadership for 2013. But before that happens, its commissioners will review an ethics opinion they did not agree on two months ago. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Bidness-1d.jpg)
Politicians love transparency right now — or love to talk about it. But some of their efforts at providing it aren't clear, and some that are clear aren't timely. Some public records just aren't readily available to the public. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/BidnessTrans-3.jpg)
Lobbyists are competitive creatures, and don't like it when somebody gets an advantage — like political consultants who lobby during the political off-season. But they haven't found a way to regulate the practice. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Bidness-2.jpg)
Ethics reformers are looking to overhaul the personal financial statements state lawmakers must file. The form doesn’t ask for much detail, hasn’t been updated in years and has led to confusion and varying interpretations about what must be revealed. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/PersonalFinancialStatements_1.jpg)
It's been a long time since the Legislature took a good, hard look at its ethics laws and its own practices. With the Texas Ethics Commission up for review, a restive electorate and a herd of new lawmakers, they have a golden opportunity. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Cleaning-Capitol-Bidness.jpg)
The Texas Ethics Commission stands poised for change during the 83rd legislative session. But any efforts to reform it will face a challenge, because the lawmakers the commission was set up to regulate are the ones setting the rules. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Bidness-PFS.jpg)
Twenty journalists have spent nine months researching the personal financial interests of members of the 83rd Legislature. Eyebrows — and hackles — may be raised, but this kind of transparency is good for Texas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Bidness-Logo.jpg){kind=logo}
The Texas Ethics Commission backed off Thursday from a proposal to take some investigative authority away from the Travis County district attorney’s office, but the agency approved two recommendations aimed at enhancing criminal investigations of state elected officials. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib_Capitol_MS_4.jpg)
Lawmakers say they want transparency and that the public should be able to see their finances. But state requirements allow officeholders to report their financial interests vaguely enough to hide conflicts. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Capitol-Taxes-Geren.jpg)
A runoff for the state district court in Marshall, just east of Longview near the Louisiana border, has two Republicans slinging lawsuits and ethics complaints over provisions of the Judicial Campaign Fairness Act. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/DistrictJudges.jpg)
The Texas Ethics Commission could undergo major changes in the next legislative session. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports on why some think the state should scrap the commission and start over from scratch. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TexasCapitol.jpg)
Texas has scored a 68 out of 100, placing 27th in a national state integrity study. The state got high marks for auditing and for monitoring pension funds, but not as high for accountability of the governor and legislators. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/ScalesMoneyTexas.jpg)
The political action committee of Dallas billionaire waste magnate Harold Simmons is asking 18 lawmakers to return about $65,000 in contributions after admitting that an oversight led to illegal campaign contributions. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/CampaignFinanceApp3.jpg)
Four of the state's top officeholders each raised more than $1 million during the second half of 2011. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who is running for the U.S. Senate, raised $1.5 million for his federal campaign account during the fourth quarter alone. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/517f68fe76d2e5029bea1ca863ed91d1/BD%20INC%20Senate%20Debate%20226%202012)
In politics, one man’s mistake is another’s opportunity. Now that state Rep. Joe Driver, R-Garland, has been sentenced for “double dipping,” opposition researchers in this primary season are scrambling for other examples. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/40b8ece4ce3f38ba62744ca65bd6a7e4/BD%20INC%20Joe%20Driver%202010)
Using information provided by the Texas Ethics Commission, we have built a new interface for accessing campaign contributions and expenditures dating back to 2000 — our most comprehensive campaign finance database yet. Full Story