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Texas Ethics Commission

The latest Texas Ethics Commission news from The Texas Tribune.

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Evan Smith

    Stiles' and Torres' three-parter on the changing Texas political map, Ramsey on questions about Brian Birdwell's voting history and residency, Aguilar on the Obama administration's immigration crackdown, Reed on hospitals that won't induce early labor, Stiles on what Troy Fraser left off his financial disclosure form, the latest installment of Hu's Face-Off video debate series, Grissom on the problem-plagued Driver Responsibility Program, Galbraith on the controversy over fracking and M. Smith's interview with former Texas Supreme Court Justice Harriet O'Neill: The best of our best from July 26 to 30, 2010. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • 2010: White: Perry Cut Corners to Help Friend

    By Sarah Adler

    Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White is calling for an independent audit of Texas Enterprise Fund grants after documents showed the governor's office offered $2.5 million in state subsidies to Sino Swearingen, a company founded by Doug Jaffe. Jaffe is one of two partners involved in a controversial land deal that netted Perry a $500,000 profit. Full Story 

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    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • A Friend In Deed

    By Matt Stiles

    State Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, who was involved in a controversial land deal with Gov. Rick Perry, failed to disclose ownership or sale of the property to the Texas Ethics Commission, an apparent violation of a state ethics rules, according to a review of his personal financial statements. Full Story 

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    Credit: Todd Wiseman

  • Data App: Personal Finance

    By Matt Stiles

    Politicians, candidates and other state officers are required to disclose their personal finances, to discourage conflicts of interest and, according to the law, "strengthen the faith and confidence of the people of this state in state government." Yet getting these documents isn’t easy, so we've put all 3,070 available online. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Justin Dehn/Todd Wiseman

  • The Lobby Wars

    By Morgan Smith

    HillCo's lawsuit against two of its departing partners is threatening business as usual in the insular world of the Texas lobby, raising the specter of open combat in an industry that prefers to settle its fights behind closed doors. But as its allegations make plain, HillCo believes that two rogue employees are the ones who crossed the line, turning competition for clients into espionage and biting down hard on the hand that fed them. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • Is Rick Perry Transparent?

    By Elise Hu

    His campaign was criticized this week for failing to detail its expenditures. But Craig McDonald, who filed an ethics complaint on behalf of liberal watchdog group Texans for Public Justice, says there's a larger issue at play: the Perry administration's overall lack of openness. Full Story 

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  • 2010: WFAA: Harper-Brown Under Ethics Cloud

    By Elise Hu

    Tribune news partner WFAA-TV reports that state Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, and her husband are driving cars owned by a highway contractor doing millions of dollars in business with the state. All the while, Harper-Brown sits on the influential House Transportation Committee. Full Story 

    State Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving.
    Credit: WFAA-TV

  • The Applicant

    By Emily Ramshaw

    Can an energy regulator who’s on the board of an entity he oversees make a play for the top job there? Industry and government sources say that’s what Barry Smitherman, the chairman of Texas’ influential Public Utility Commission, is doing, though Smitherman won't say whether he's in the running. Full Story 

    Barry Smitherman

  • Guest Column: The End of Judicial Elections?

    By David Schenck

    The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case will come to be seen as the third horseman of the apocalypse for lawyers, judges, and those who favor the direct election of state judges. Full Story 

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