Posted on 12/31/2014 4:20:00 PM PST by thetallguy24
After releasing our report on Monday covering the accounting issues of the PAC and campaign finance reports of the Texas Legislature, the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) issued a response defending its “important work”. In the two page letter, TEC chairman Paul W. Hobby, a Joe Straus appointee, admitted that we were correct about the TEC’s limited enforcement powers (thanks to the Legislature) and bemoaned the appeals process that hindered prosecution. He defended the commissioners’ diligence, claiming they have “met much more than is required by law.” Unfortunately, the figures the TEC provides only tell half the story.
One of the TEC’s claims was that “259 complaints were filed with the Commission and 22 complaints were independently initiated by the Commission” and “approximately 250 sworn complaints” were disposed of in 2014. What they do not include is that only 58 open orders were issued in 2014 against 47 individuals/groups. The vast majority of the 58 orders from the TEC were concerning complaints made in prior years, 15 from 2013, 27 from 2012, 3 from 2011, and 3 from 2010. Only 10 open orders were in response to complaints made in 2014, or less than 4% of all 281 complaints. It seems most of the time spent in those meetings is used to dispose of complaints rather than investigate them.
Another fact the TEC excludes relating to these complaints is nearly all of them were concerning PACs and officials/candidates for local offices. Only three complaints against sitting state officials received an open order (Reps. J.D. Sheffield, Jim Keffer, & Linda Harper-Brown) in 2014, but those complaints had been sitting on the TEC’s desk for years.
(Excerpt) Read more at hardhatters.com ...
Isn’t that Rosemary Lehmberg? She’s in charge of Austin’s Public Integrity Unit
Yep.
Yep. The one and only.
Ahh, that would be Rosemary "moonwalker" Lehmberg!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-bj-BLTRRo
It is hilarious at the 4:00 mark...
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