The House remains fully committed to keeping dark money disclosure language in its ethics reform legislation. However, the measure’s Senate author is equally adamant that provision must come out.
Van Taylor
Posted inState Government
House Passes Ethics Bill; Senate Showdown Likely
The Texas House on Wednesday gave final sign-off to a far-reaching ethics reform package that would shine light on so-called “dark money” while restricting undercover recordings of people in the state Capitol.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: May 14, 2015
The long hours this week are a direct result of one of the first big end-of-session deadlines that hits today. The House has until the end of today to take initial action on any bill or resolution coming out of that chamber.
Posted in
Politics
Lawmaker Slams “Superficial” Senate Ethics Reform
The already tortuous path for ethics reform at the Texas Capitol took another sharp turn Wednesday when a powerful House leader criticized the package passed by the Senate and praised by Gov. Greg Abbott two weeks ago.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: April 29, 2015
Gone are accusations of gamesmanship as lawmakers get to work finding common ground on the session’s border security bill.
Posted inState Government
Senate Strengthens and Passes Ethics Bill
The Senate voted in often odd coalitions to reveal more about the money members make, prohibit themselves from immediately becoming lobbyists, post their financial statements online and even subject themselves and other elected officials to drug testing.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: April 21, 2015
The House gave the OK on Monday to legislation overhauling the way public corruption cases are handled in the state, but not before criticism that the new mechanism creates “a new protected class” of elected officials.
Posted in
State Government
Ethics Legislation Headed to Senate Floor
A heavily watered-down ethics reform bill will soon be taken up by the full Senate. Lawmakers on Monday rejected an amendment that would have required legislators to publicly disclose their tax returns each year.
Posted inState Government
Committee Waters Down Ethics Reform Legislation
Proposed ethics reform legislation underwent a significant overhaul Thursday in a Senate committee. Gone is the plan to take state pensions from lawbreaking lawmakers. Also out: a proposal to stop legislators from cashing in on a piece of the public debt business.
Posted inState Government
Facing Blowback, Ethics Bill Could Lose Punch
Gov. Greg Abbott wants ethics reform, but the legislation working its way through the Senate faces major revisions as early as Monday. The debate demonstrates how difficult it is for legislators to change the rules that govern their own behavior.