A sunset bill for the Texas Ethics Commission tentatively passed through the House Monday evening, with a few ethics reform bills tacked on as amendments.
Senate Bill 219 would have made minor changes to the agency as part of a once-every-12-years sunset review process, but on the House floor today it became a vehicle for amendments requiring Railroad Commissioners to resign from the position if they decided to run for other offices; mandating that lawmakers’ financial disclosure forms are posted online (without their home addresses); requiring that 501(c)(4) nonprofits report their donors if they get involved in Texas elections, and requiring legislators and their families to report any government contracts in which they hold more than a 50-percent stake. Read More.
Texas Observer: House Passes Ethics Commission Bill with New Requirements Tacked On
Written for The Texas Observer legislative blog "Floor Pass."