Judge Reaffirms Dismissal of Ethics Ruling Against Conservative Activist
A new judge Wednesday reaffirmed the dismissal of a ruling by the Texas Ethics Commission against conservative power broker Michael Quinn Sullivan. Full Story
The latest Texas Ethics Commission news from The Texas Tribune.
A new judge Wednesday reaffirmed the dismissal of a ruling by the Texas Ethics Commission against conservative power broker Michael Quinn Sullivan. Full Story
State law requires lobbyists to report what they spend on legislators and other state officials. But the loopholes are big: Less than 5 percent of the lobby's reported spending on food and beverage names the eaters and the drinkers. Full Story
Gov. Greg Abbott's full-throated embrace of ethics reform, a rarity under the Capitol dome, is breathing new life into the issue of years of failed efforts. But changing the status quo remains very much a work in progress. Full Story
Advocates for ethics reform say Gov. Greg Abbott has a rare chance to help spearhead improved lawmaker disclosures and reduce conflicts of interest. Abbott is expected to address ethics reform Tuesday in his State of the State address. Full Story
Sen. Kirk Watson has filed three bills that would close a gaping loophole in state ethics law — one that allows lobbyists to avoid naming names when they fill out their mandatory spending and entertainment reports. Full Story
State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, a leading advocate of ethics reform in the notoriously unrestrained Texas Legislature, filed legislation Tuesday designed to shed more light on lawmakers who make money off of government contracts. Full Story
Some of the Legislature's early actions indicate some ambivalence about the agencies and people who enforce state ethics laws. Full Story
The session stipends for legislators are set to rise, and because of a loophole in Texas law, that would mean lobbyists could spend more on legislators without saying whom they are wining and dining. Full Story
The 8-day reports — the final look at candidate campaign finance totals before Election Day — are in. We have compiled data for all statewide, State Board of Education, Texas Senate and Texas House candidates who filed electronically with the Texas Ethics Commission. Full Story
We're liveblogging the sessions from the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival's Open Government track. The sessions include panels on disclosures by legislators, open records in Texas, transparency and the Texas budget, and the issue of donor privacy. Full Story
The campaign manager for GOP gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott filed an ethics complaint on Thursday alleging that the Wendy Davis book tour represents a conversion of political contributions into personal use. Full Story
Pretty soon, Texas lawmakers will have to decide who is a reporter — and who isn't. Full Story
On this week's edition of WFAA-TV's Inside Texas Politics, I talked with host Shelly Slater and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Bud Kennedy about Michael Quinn Sullivan, the arrest of John Wiley Price, the deployment of 1,ooo National Guard troops and more. Full Story
The Texas Ethics Commission has ordered Michael Quinn Sullivan, leader of the conservative advocacy group Empower Texans, to pay a $10,000 fine for failing to register as a lobbyist in 2010 and 2011. Full Story
When the typically vociferous Michael Quinn Sullivan kept quiet at a 12-hour hearing last week, it was the latest development in a saga pitting the leader of Empower Texans against the state’s ethics enforcers. And it’s almost a sure bet that many chapters remain. Full Story
The campaign of attorney general candidate Ken Paxton is "reviewing and researching" its disclosure obligations in the wake of a Tribune investigation into his work as an investment adviser representative and other business relationships. Full Story
In competitive races, a candidate will ideally get the best bang for his or her buck. Use our interactive to see how much each candidate for a state office spent (or did not spend) for each vote he or she received in the March 4 primary. Full Story
State Sen. Glenn Hegar, a candidate for comptroller, amended his personal financial forms this week to include more information about his wife's income and investments. Full Story
The Tribune's campaign finance database has been updated to include the latest contribution and expenditure information. Use this tool to look up candidates' cash totals and to see who is funding them. Full Story
With early voting now underway, click on the candidates in our 2014 primary election brackets to find a quick link to their directory pages, most of which have been updated to include their 2013 personal financial statements. Full Story