Tag Archives: ethics

TPJ still wants Paxton investigated

Posted on April 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

At the very least, they don’t want the matter dropped due to blithe indifference. The head of a public watchdog group said he again will urge law enforcement to launch a probe into Attorney General Ken Paxton’s admitted violation of … Continue reading →

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Bill filing deadline has passed

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Believe it or not, we are almost halfway through the legislative session, and we have now passed the point where new bills can be filed. Racing to beat a deadline for filing bills, state lawmakers on Friday submitted hundreds of … Continue reading →

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Republicans try again to kill Public Integrity Unit

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

They might have the votes this time, though as with some other highly publicized “replacement” efforts, their substitute idea lacks a few key elements to make it successful. Under Senate Bill 10 by Sen. Joan Huffman, the attorney general’s office … Continue reading →

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Ethics Commission rejects Bell’s complaint

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

No go. The Houston Ethics Commission has ruled against mayoral candidate Chris Bell’s complaint that City Hall was letting Rep. Sylvester Turner start the race with a $900,000 head start in fundraising. […] Bell argues that Turner’s legislative account should … 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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Two city race updates

Posted on February 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Item one: We have another candidate for Comptroller. Jew Don Boney, who sat on City Council for three terms in the 1990′s, will run for City Controller, he told the Chronicle Wednesday. Boney joins Houston Community College trustee Carroll Robinson … 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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January campaign finance reports – HISD trustees

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Four HISD Trustees are up for re-election this year. There are nine Trustees in all, and they serve four-year terms, so in a normal year either four or five are up for re-election. As things stand right now, all four … Continue reading →

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Steve Stockman may leave Congress but his stench will linger

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Steve Stockman, ladies and gentlemen. When Rep. Steve Stockman won a long-shot bid in 2012 to return to the House of Representatives, he credited a dream team of tech-savvy volunteers who worked long hours and slept on the floor of … Continue reading →

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On being Ron Reynolds

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Just because everyone’s out to get you doesn’t mean your behavior is above reproach. To hear Ron Reynolds tell it, the embattled state representative is just plain misunderstood. Over the past decade, Reynolds has been sanctioned twice by the state … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton is still an ethical morass

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

He’s just now a statewide ethical morass. A state judge will determine whether to revoke the securities license of Frederick Mowery, who was linked to the State Securities Board’s May reprimand of Attorney General-elect Ken Paxton, for allegations that included … 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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Gary Elkins thumbs his nose at local payday lending ordinances

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Such a fine example he sets. As a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Houston Republican Gary Elkins helps make laws. As a businessman, he is an owner of a chain of payday lending stores accused of breaking them. … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of the AG race

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Couple of interesting tidbits in here. A tea party darling with a dozen years in the state Legislature, Sen. Ken Paxton has avoided the media since admitting to a third-degree felony violation of state securities law in late April. Spokesman … 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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Endorsement watch: Sweep for Sam Houston

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Houston Chronicle endorses Sam Houston, completing a sweep of the big papers for the Democratic candidate for Attorney General. Democratic candidate Sam Houston is the best choice on the ballot. A graduate of Baylor Law School and candidate for … 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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Gov debate II: That’s more like it

Posted on October 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The second Governor’s debate was a lively affair. Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott, who has mostly avoided direct confrontation with his opponent in the race for Texas governor, took a hard swing at Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis over her ethics … Continue reading →

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Paxton investigation put off till after the election

Posted on September 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t really argue with this. The Travis County District Attorney’s Office will not pursue legal action against attorney general candidate state Sen. Ken Paxton until after the election, if at all, because of an internal policy aimed at preventing … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed to get Paxton records from State Securities Board

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the Lone Star Project on Wednesday: Today the Texas Coalition for Lawyer Accountability (TCLA) filed suit against the Texas State Securities Board to obtain documents linked to Republican attorney general candidate Ken Paxton’s admitted felony violation of state securities … 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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Greg Enos drops another bombshell

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Greg Enos, the chief catalyst in getting Judge Denise Pratt ousted from the 311th Family Court, now documents bad behavior by Pratt’s successor on that bench, Alicia Franklin. I truly like Alicia Franklin personally and I do not want to … 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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More about TPJ

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron profiles Texans for Public Justice, the group that filed the complaint that led to Rick Perry’s indictments. [Craig] McDonald’s Texans for Public Justice, which operates out of a small office west of the University of Texas-Austin campus and … 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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TPJ files criminal complaint against Ken Paxton

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: TPJ Calls for Formal Investigation of AG Candidate Ken Paxton – Criminal Complaint Filed With Travis County DA’s Office TPJ has filed a criminal complaint with the Travis County District Attorney against State Senator and Attorney General … Continue reading →

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Who watches the fox while he guards the henhouse?

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Railroad Commission needs an ethics upgrade. The race for Texas railroad commissioner has revived — at least in the short term — debate around a series of thwarted legislative proposals to overhaul the state’s curiously named oil and gas … Continue reading →

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Sam Houston enters the chemical disclosure fray

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Sam Houston, Democratic Nominee for Texas Attorney General, today promised to reverse the current AG’s letter ruling on the release of the locations of dangerous chemicals, putting the safety of our families and children first. “I have … Continue reading →

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The Trib on the AG race

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

What do you do when you have an ethically compromised candidate on your ticket? Thank your lucky stars that you’re the majority party and hope like hell the challenger can’t get any traction. A political candidate’s troubles are supposed to … Continue reading →

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Steve Stockman ethics update

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

He still doesn’t have any, but I’m talking about the investigation into his highly questionable campaign finance activity. The House Ethics Committee extended its probe into U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman on Wednesday, releasing a report detailing allegations that he tried … Continue reading →

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Steve Stockman’s ongoing FEC issues

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

“Steve Stockman” and “ethical issues” go together like peanut butter and jelly. For a congressman who has overseen four campaign committees in two decades, Rep. Steve Stockman is having a hard time dissolving his troubled congressional campaign. Now a lame … Continue reading →

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Why isn’t Ken Paxton releasing his tax returns?

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This DMN story is actually about how Sen. Ken Paxton, currently in a runoff for the GOP nomination for Attorney General after leading the field in March, has done pretty well for himself as a lawyer since his initial election … Continue reading →

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Paxton gets a slap on the wrist

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That’s it??? State Sen. Ken Paxton, a Republican candidate for Texas attorney general, violated the Texas Securities Act by soliciting investment clients without being registered as required by law, according to a disciplinary order made public Friday. Under the order … Continue reading →

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Stockman being investigated for ethics issues

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Raise your hand if you’re the least bit surprised by this. The House ethics committee is inquiring into the campaign finances of Rep. Steve Stockman, the Clear Lake Republican who has been questioned repeatedly over the last year about misreported … Continue reading →

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