Austin, TX
Texas agency that oversees campaign finance needs clean-up
The state agency responsible for making sure Texas political candidates, state officers, lobbyists and others comply with campaign finance law could use some help from the Legislature in the upcoming session to do its job more effectively.
That’s the main takeaway from a lengthy review of the Texas Ethics Commission by the state’s Sunset Advisory Commission staff, who issued a report on the agency last month.
Specifically, lawmakers should clean up the “numerous requirements and layers upon layers of exemptions” that make “compliance challenging for the regulated community and enforcement difficult” for the TEC, the staff report states.
We urge the Sunset commission to approve the recommendations made by the staff in the report, and send them on to the Legislature for action. The work of the ethics agency, established through a constitutional amendment in 1991, is vital to ensure transparency behind the millions of dollars donated to campaigns every year, and lawmakers must champion it.
Far from calling for widespread ethics reform, which the Legislature has failed to pass in more than a decade, the Sunset staff is simply recommending commonsense tweaks to the agency’s enabling statute to allow for a more efficient process.
Doing so would amend the “complicated, outdated, and unclear statute” that “hinders meaningful disclosure, strains TEC’s limited resources, and burdens filers,” according to the staff report.
For example, innocent filing errors or submitting required forms even minutes after deadlines are minor violations that nonetheless trigger a confusing administrative process and often result in civil penalties. Another example is that the statute still requires the TEC to send late notices and other documents via mail, sometimes registered or certified, when email would make better sense.
“Receiving a notice by first-class mail can take up to five days, during which time the penalty could have increased by up to $500″ for a late filing, the staff report noted. Another recommendation: the Legislature should allow the TEC to redirect unspent funds in its budget for other purposes to its on-going technology needs.
J.R. Johnson, executive director of the TEC, applauded the Sunset staff’s “thorough and thoughtful” work in a Dec. 2 letter. He said he welcomed the proposed clean-up of the agency’s regulations so that it can “accomplish its mission” more successfully. The Sunset commission and lawmakers should take note that the agency leadership stands ready to implement changes.
The admirable mission of the TEC is needed now more than ever. There are “historic levels of money pouring into elections and few limits on campaign contributions and expenditures,” the Sunset staff noted. The public deserves a TEC unencumbered by chasing after minor filing mistakes and outdated processes so that it can focus on the more ethically questionable activities of political candidates, office holders, lobbyists and others.
We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com
For us? You shouldn’t have.
We think living in Austin is the greatest gift of all, but our city has actually been on the receiving end of quite a few delightful donations. From parks to sculptures and more, check out these four gifts given to the city.
Zilker Park | The land for Austin’s signature park was gifted to the city by businessman Andrew Jackson Zilker in multiple donations from 1917 to 1934, the same year Zilker Park officially earned its name. Happy 90th, Zilker Park.
Pink Granite for the Texas State Capitol | The iconic Texas State Capitol building — which is taller than the US Capitol, by the way — was built using pink granite from Granite Mountain, located just outside of Marble Falls. In 1885, Granite Mountain owners William H. Westfall and Nimrod L. Norton supplied the granite for free, as long as the railroad track used to transport it was extended to the quarry site.
The Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Statue pays homage to one of the most iconic artists from Austin’s music scene.
Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Statue | One of Austin’s most well-known landmarks, this statue on Lady Bird Lake was donated to the city by Vaughan’s family and fan club. For just over 30 years, the statue has marked a site where Vaughan often performed in person.
Robert de Niro’s film archive | The renowned actor from “The Godfather” donated the archive of his film career to the Harry Ransom Center in 2006. At the time, the collection of artifacts was estimated to be worth ~$5 million.
These extraordinary gifts not only add character and value to our city but also show how generosity can have a lasting impact. Do you know of another major gift donated to our city? Let us know.
Three winter holiday events to check out in Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi holds several winter holiday events, but here are three the Caller-Times thinks you should check out first.
Wanting to start a new holiday tradition this year?
Consider taking a day trip to a nearby city to check out winter events.
The Caller-Times suggests visiting one of these events in Austin, McAllen and Victoria.
Trail of Lights in Austin
Austin is a popular destination as the capital of Texas, but it also is known for its annual Trail of Lights — an event that features more than 2 million lights, 90 lighted holiday trees and more than 70 holiday displays in Zilker Park.
The event opened Tuesday and will run through Monday, Dec. 23.
Tickets may be purchased at austintrailoflights.org.
The Trail of Lights originally started in 1965 and was known as the Yule Fest. It involved the lighting of a yule log and included performances by carolers from local choirs. Over the years, the one-day event evolved into a four-day festival and then to one that lasts for nearly all of December.
Aside from lights, the festival also includes vendors, food, drinks and live performances. This year, several entertainers will perform through Dec. 23.
South Pole Illuminated Festival in McAllen
South Pole Illuminated Festival is an immersive holiday experience with the tallest RGB Christmas tree in the United States, spanning more than 10 stories tall.
RGB lights are color-controllable LED strings that can be animated with unique effects that may be synchronized to music.
Guests can experience a walking journey through millions of lights at the McAllen Convention Center featuring photos with Santa, train rides, gingerbread house building, live music, a s’mores station, a holiday food court, a NASA photo exhibit, a market, fireworks, a carnival and more.
The festival opened in November and will run until Dec. 29. Tickets may be purchased at southpoleoftexas.com.
Christmas Nights in Victoria
Grab your little ones and make a short drive to The Texas Zoo in Victoria for the annual Christmas Nights event, where attendees can stroll through light displays.
The event is held from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 20, Dec. 22, Dec. 23 and Dec. 24.
Tickets are $5 and can be purchased on site.
For more information about the zoo, visit texaszoo.org.
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John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com or Twitter @johnpoliva.
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