Posted on 08/13/2003 11:04:11 AM PDT by kattracks
DALLAS (AP) — The Texas Republican Party is seeking a federal investigation into whether 11 state Senate Democrats who fled to New Mexico violated campaign finance laws by flying there in a bank's private jet.
The GOP made the announcement Tuesday after the mostly Democrat-less Senate approved a resolution to fine each missing lawmaker $1,000 a day, with the fine doubling for each missed session, but not to exceed $5,000 a day.
The Democrats, who have been in Albuquerque, N.M., for more than two weeks, have brought the Senate to a standstill by denying it a quorum to take up a GOP plan for congressional redistricting, an issue that has failed to pass twice this year. House Democrats fled the state for four days in May to block the redistricting bill in the regular session.
Texas Democratic Party Consultant Jeff Crosby said the Senators had checked with the Texas Ethics Commission on the use of the private plane.
"Everything they did was legal and proper," he said. "This is a completely frivolous complaint."
But Texas GOP chairwoman Susan Weddington called it "a blatant abuse of campaign finance laws that cannot be tolerated."
Democratic leaders have said the plane was donated by David Rogers, president of the First National Bank of Edinburg. However, online records kept by the Federal Aviation Administration show no planes in Rogers' name, but two owned by the bank, The Associated Press confirmed.
Weddington said a federal law prohibits national banks from making many different types of political contributions.
"We have rules against companies and national banks making political contributions, and the First National Bank of Edinburg and the Democrats that fled our state obviously have little regard for these laws," she said.
Weddington sent a letter seeking "an immediate investigation" to Archie L. Bransford Jr., deputy comptroller of the Comptroller of the Currency's Southeastern District office in Atlanta, a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department that regulates national banks.
Bransford did not immediately return a telephone call Wednesday.
The Democrats also contend the fines passed by the Senate are illegal, saying Senate rules for sanctions call for nothing more than arrest by the Senate sergeant-at-arms.
"I won't pay it," said state Sen. Rodney Ellis.
Several said they would not be persuaded to return to Austin.
"We want our members and our colleagues back so that we can take up these issues before us and get on with our lives," said Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who presides over the Senate.
Dewhurst cited a decision delivered Tuesday by state Attorney General Greg Abbott that senators have no constitutional right to break a quorum and that the Texas Constitution authorizes the remaining senators to compel their attendance.
How can running away to prevent due process POSSIBLY be "working hard"??? If I tried that, I would be unemployed in a heart-beat! Not only that, but they are costing us, as tax-payers, a huge amount of cash because they refuse to DO their jobs and make it necessary for the governor to call special sessions......
Typical liberal dummycraps; double-standards apply (Republicans never ran away when dummycraps redistricted to THEIR benefit!), and Texans are forced to pay their bill - since dummycraps are all about tax and spend, they do not care.
"Good People"? The term that come to MY mind is "pondscum"!
Ah, I feel SO much better, having vented.....
Lucky for us they're a pack of conniving, money-hungry socialists.
Actually I think this will point out how the Democratic Party is the party of the Rich and not the working man anymore. My hubby already had a discussion after the last elections here in Texas about how rich the Democratic Governer candidate was. The guy he was talking to came back with "well, he can pay off our debt if he is elected." Hubby replied, "nothing stopping him from doing it now." The Demos are no longer the party of the "working class" and this will show it even more.
Lein holders don't register automobiles, truck, boats or PLANES with the registering authorities. The FAA being the 'registering authority' has the bank as the owner of the plane (or planes) in question.
The Secretary of State office might be able to tell you.
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