Austin, TX

Texas agency that oversees campaign finance needs clean-up

Published

1 year ago

December 12, 2024

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Doing so would amend the “complicated, outdated, and unclear statute” that “hinders meaningful disclosure, strains TEC’s limited resources, and burdens filers,” according to the staff report.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

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Austin, TX

Austin, Texas shooting leaves 4 injured, 3 in custody. What we know

Published

9 hours ago

May 18, 2026

Press Room

Austin, Texas shooting leaves 4 injured, 3 in custody. What we know

Three juvenile individuals are in custody following a weekend crime spree of 12 shootings that left four people injured and multiple car thefts in Austin, Texas.

The crimes occurred starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 16, and ended on Sunday, May 17, resulting in the arrest of a 15-year-old, a 17-year-old and a third individual, Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis said Sunday, May 17.

“The 17-year-old has a warrant for his arrest for a theft of a gun from the same store the 15-year-old stole a gun from,” Davis said at a news conference.

The string of crimes started when Austin PD was first notified of a stolen vehicle from an apartment complex, followed by the theft of a firearm. Following that, Davis said an estimated 20 service calls were received in the South and Southeast Austin areas regarding the individuals.

“Two times they fired at a firehouse and struck a truck,” Davis said. “Into apartment buildings where officers had to go door to door, ensuring that everyone was safe.”

In total, two separate fire houses, several buildings and apartment complexes were fired upon by the individuals, in addition to four vehicles being stolen.

Of the four individuals injured, three have been confirmed to have sustained non-life-threatening injuries, with the fourth sustaining critical injuries.

Police were able to connect these events to the three individuals, but Davis said there is no known motive for the series of events.

The crime spree concluded when Manor PD conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle that the individuals were driving. The individuals fled, but two of them were apprehended on Sunday.

Following the news conference, the Manor Police Department announced a third individual — a juvenile — who had fled the vehicle earlier on Sunday had been detained with no ongoing threat to the public.

Gov. Greg Abbott released a statement on social media calling the individuals dangerous.

“If they are ever released from jail, they will surely harm again,” Abbott said. “The DA & Court must do their job and keep these criminals behind bars.”

Anyone with information should contact the Aggravated Assault Unit at 512-974-5177 or submit tips anonymously through austincrimestoppers.org or by calling 512-472-8477.

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Austin, TX

2 arrested, 3rd suspect sought after series of shootings in Austin, Texas

Published

21 hours ago

May 17, 2026

Press Room

Anadolu staff

18 May 2026•Update: 18 May 2026

Two suspects were taken into custody and police continued searching for a third suspect on Sunday following a series of shootings in Austin, Texas that injured four people, authorities said.

Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis said the suspects were linked to at least 10 attacks carried out between Saturday and Sunday, adding that one victim sustained serious injuries while three others suffered minor wounds.

Police said the shootings appeared to be random and that no clear motive had been identified. Most incidents occurred in South Austin, including at least two shootings targeting fire stations.

“At this time, the investigation is ongoing, and APD (Austin Police Department) asks that our community remain vigilant,” the department said in a press release.

Authorities lifted a shelter-in-place order that had been issued for parts of South Austin, while a separate order remained in effect Sunday in the nearby Manor area as officers searched for the remaining suspect.

The Austin Fire Department said two of its stations were struck by gunfire in separate incidents late Saturday and Sunday morning, though no firefighters were injured and only minor damage was reported.

Officials urged residents to remain vigilant and asked anyone with information to contact police or Crime Stoppers, a community-based, non-profit program that allows citizens to submit anonymous tips about criminal activity and unsolved cases.

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