Tag Archives: Texas Ethics Commission

Paxton recuses himself from lots of regular AG activity

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Other people in the AG’s office are doing parts of Ken Paxton’s job because right now he can’t. The AG’s office has followed agency policy, state rules and laws to screen Paxton from participating in matters where he may have … Continue reading →

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Churches and recall elections

Posted on September 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Are Texas churches prohibited from campaigning to recall politicians? The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals [weighed] that question Thursday in a case set to clarify if and how a church as a corporate entity … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

How will we miss Ken Paxton if he doesn’t go away?

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Despite his arrest and indictment, Ken paxton might stick around for awhile. Using Texas history as a measure, Ken Paxton’s indictment on securities fraud charges may mean he will have to navigate rough political waters if he stays in office … Continue reading →

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Paxton’s partner in alleged crime

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Fritz Mowery, the man who helped get AG Ken Paxton into trouble. Fritz Mowery was on a mission. Last April, he tried to convince investment clients to sign backdated forms saying they knew Ken Paxton had received money for … Continue reading →

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Campaign finance reports may be a bit more interesting this cycle

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And by “interesting”, I mean in the Chinese curse sense. From the city’s campaign finance reports page: In April 2015, the Texas Ethics Commission released a new Electronic Filing Application. The changes made have to do with the separation of … Continue reading →

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Paxton involved in another scam

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

When it rains, it pours. The name of Attorney General Ken Paxton, facing potential indictment by special prosecutors in Collin County for first-degree felony securities fraud, has surfaced in a federal probe of a company in which he is an … Continue reading →

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Ethics complaint filed against Sen. Huffman

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Lone Star Project: The Lone Star Project has learned that a complaint was filed Wednesday with the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) alleging that Republican State Senator Joan Huffman (SD17 – Houston) is in violation of section § 572.023 … Continue reading →

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Bill to kneecap Public Integrity Unit gets unstuck

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And away it goes. Senate Bill 10, filed by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, passed on second reading along party lines. The integrity unit is currently a state-funded division of the Travis County DA’s office that investigates public corruption, insurance fraud … Continue reading →

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The odds never favor ethics reforms

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Better to keep your hopes down and not suffer too much disappointment. Gov. Greg Abbott pledged on the campaign trail to lead the charge to improve the state’s ethics laws, and now lawmakers and advocates pushing for reform are looking … Continue reading →

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New frontiers in residency requirements

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Michael Quinn Sullivan lives exactly where he says he lives, no more and no less. Empower Texans President Michael Quinn Sullivan and the Texas Ethics Commission are scheduled to tangle in state district court in Denton County for the first … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s actions in the Hecht ethics case belie his “just doing my job” evasion

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

More accurately, it’s his lack of action that speaks clearly about his priorities and discretion. Attorney General Greg Abbott, accused of favoritism in his handling of an ethics case involving a Texas Supreme Court justice, says it’s not his duty … Continue reading →

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TPJ files suit against Abbott over Hecht ethics case

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. An Austin legal watchdog group filed suit Wednesday to force action on a $29,000 ethics fine, levied against Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht in 2008, that has languished on appeal for 5½ years. The … Continue reading →

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Empower Texans could have some tax problems

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Schadenfreude alert: Empower Texans, an organization at the center of the state’s far-right conservative movement, reported no political expenses on its 2012 tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service, despite showing $350,000 in campaign expenditures to state authorities, documents show. … Continue reading →

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Abbott files complaint with Ethics Commission over Davis book tour

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever. The campaign manager for GOP gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott filed an ethics complaint on Thursday alleging that the book tour of Abbott’s Democratic opponent, state Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth, represents a conversion of political contributions into personal … Continue reading →

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Abbott claims Davis’ book tour constitutes an illegal campaign contribution

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I guess he has to do something to distract from what’s actually in Sen. Davis’ book. Republican gubernatorial nominee Greg Abbott asked the Texas Ethics Commission on Monday to rule whether opponent Wendy Davis’ book deal and tour crosses the … Continue reading →

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Shine a light on dark money

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I totally favor this. Secret campaign donors in Texas may soon be forced out of the shadows. The Texas Ethics Commission, already fighting a conservative group in court over whether it can regulate dark money disclosure, appears poised to approve … Continue reading →

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Davis outraises Abbott on the 8 day report

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Democrat Wendy Davis reported that she outstripped Republican Greg Abbott in fundraising, bringing in $2.85 million over a 29-day period. His totals were reported here. Davis has $11.3 million tucked away looking ahead to the general election. Her overall … Continue reading →

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The oldest established permanent floating ethics probe in the state

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chief Justice of our State Supreme Court, ladies and gentlemen. Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, already the longest-serving member of the state’s highest civil court, has the dubious distinction of owning another record: the longest running appeal … Continue reading →

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Keller accepts a plea deal on ethics charge

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

She gets off pretty lightly, if you ask me. Sharon Keller, the state’s top criminal court judge, has reached a deal to substantially reduce a record $100,000 fine levied by the Texas Ethics Commission for failing to fully disclose millions … Continue reading →

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More leftover campaign cash

Posted on July 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron writes about a subject I’ve covered before. Former Rep. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs of Houston used leftover campaign funds to buy a life membership in the National Rifle Association. Former Rep. Martin Frost of Dallas paid a $6,000 Federal Election … Continue reading →

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TEC approves texting campaign contributions

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From Jerad Najvar: After brief discussion and comments by Jerad Najvar, attorney for Harris County Republicans, the TEC voted unanimously to approve a draft opinion permitting Texas political committees to accept contributions by text message. APPROVED OPINION HERE (the first … Continue reading →

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On conflicts of interest

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Many members of the Texas Legislature have conflicts of interest, or at least they would if the rules on such in the Lege were more clear. Advocates of a part-time legislature say the system keeps lawmakers in touch with their … Continue reading →

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CM Brown reimburses the city for her magnets

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Score one for David Feldman. Houston City Councilwoman Helena Brown has repaid the city nearly $3,000 in taxpayer money she spent on refrigerator magnets that the Texas Ethics Commission says amount to campaign swag. City Attorney David Feldman, who had … Continue reading →

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Time for the biennial attempt to de-fang the Travis County DA

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Same story, next chapter. The Texas Ethics Commission, long criticized for its lax enforcement of public officials, is considering a plan to take over all ethics enforcement from the Travis County district attorney’s office, which has a long history of … Continue reading →

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Texting campaign contributions

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I see no reason why this should not be allowed. A Houston-based PAC is asking the Texas Ethics Commission to approve a proposal that would allow the committee to solicit text message contributions from donors in the state. The Federal … Continue reading →

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Helena’s magnets

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been awhile since my last Helena Brown post, hasn’t it? Houston City Attorney David Feldman has asked Councilwoman Helena Brown to reimburse the city nearly $3,000 in taxpayer money she spent on refrigerator magnets that he contends amount to … Continue reading →

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Drainage madness

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. A year ago, Taxpayers for Financial Accountability campaigned against Houston’s Proposition 1, which called for a pay-as-you-go fund to shore up the city’s drainage infrastructure in part through a monthly fee on … Continue reading →

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The $25,000 question

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

What the hell? A $25,000 campaign contribution to a Houston school board member normally would raise eyebrows for its size. Add in the fact that the donation was not listed in the trustee’s financial disclosure forms, and the five-figure check … Continue reading →

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Sometimes, a little spite goes only a little way

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve decided I’m more amused by this story than anything else. Last year, six tea party members in the Houston area promised to make Austin City Council members pay for rebuking Arizona’s new immigration enforcement law, and they used extensive … Continue reading →

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Ethics ID

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

According to Martha, State Rep. Ken Legler (R, HD144) has filed HB1036, which would require two forms of ID to file an ethics complaint with the TEC. Who knew that ethics complaint fraud was so rampant in Texas? Clearly, our … Continue reading →

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More on the new city ethics code

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Not everyone likes the city’s new ethics regulations. “Instead of enforcing ethics standards, all of these things seem to license unethical behavior,” said Craig Holman, a lobbyist for government watchdog Public Citizen in Washington, D.C. The exceptions to the city’s … Continue reading →

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Revising the city ethics code

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know enough about the specifics of this to draw any firm conclusions, but it sounds reasonable enough from the description. The city is poised to significantly tighten its ethics rules, closing loopholes that allow lobbyists to avoid registration … Continue reading →

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Travis County DA to investigate Double Dip Driver

Posted on December 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Republican wave helped him survive re-election this year, but State Rep. Joe Driver’s troubles aren’t over just yet. Assistant District Attorney Gregg Cox, head of the public integrity unit, which oversees official corruption cases, said Tuesday that prosecutors had … Continue reading →

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TPJ files complaint against King Street Patriots

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: TPJ today filed a formal complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission alleging that the King Street Patriots and KSP/True the Vote have violated the state’s prohibition on corporate contributions to political parties and candidates. The complaint says … Continue reading →

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