Sunset Report Released on Ethics Commission

Recently, the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission released its staff review of the Texas Ethics Commission. The Sunset Commission was established to identify and eliminate waste, duplication, and inefficiency in government agencies. The Commission seeks public input through hearings on every agency under Sunset review and recommends actions on each agency to the Legislature. In 1991, the Legislature proposed a constitutional amendment, which was later adopted by the voters, to create the Texas Ethics Commission. The agency is responsible for administering and enforcing: 1) laws and regulations concerning political contributions and expenditures, and political advertising; 2) lobbyist registration, reports, and activities; 3) personal financial disclosure of state officers and conduct of state officers and employees; and 4) laws and regulations concerning judges of statutory county courts or statutory probate courts who elect to file a financial statement with the Commission. According to the Sunset Advisory Commission report, the Ethics Commission's responsibility and authority have remained unchanged since its creation. Its structure and functions are the result of a careful compromise to ensure overall fairness and to prevent misuse of the system. The process for handling complaints, as established in statute, ensures confidentiality and due process. However, the Sunset staff found several areas that prevent the Commission from more effectively carrying out its duties: * The Commission lacks adequate authority to conduct investigations. * Unnecessary steps in the Commission's complaint process should be removed. * Lack of complaint deadlines and incomplete review of filings prevent the Commission from fully carrying out its duties. * Exemptions from the electronic filing system limit public access to campaign finance information. * The clarity and consistency of public information provided by the agency needs to be improved. The Sunset Advisory Commission Staff Report basically recommends streamlining the ethics complaint process and giving the Ethics Commission expanded subpoena power. These recommendations will be discussed in public hearings and the Sunset Commission will present their final report to the 78th Legislature. If you have input on this or other State issues, write me at P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768 or e-mail me at ron.clark@house.state.tx.us. State Representative Ron Clark P.O. Box 2910 Austin, TX 78768-2910 (903) 893-9426 * (512) 463-0474 (512) 475-3767 (fax) ron.clark@house.state.tx.us http://www.grayson.edu/district62/RonClark.html