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November 12, 2008
Flores investigation widening
The McAllen Monitor is reporting that the investigation into Rep. Kino Flores is expanding.
Read the story here http://www.themonitor.com/articles/flores19728_article.html/slayingprosecutors.html
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November 7, 2008
DA, Feds investigating Rep. Kino Flores
Travis County prosecutors, with assistance from federal agents, are investigating state Rep. Kino Flores, D-Palmview.
The investigation began into questions whether Flores illegally accepted a gift when he traveled at least three times between Austin and McAllen on a plane owned by the LaMantia family, who owns a Budweiser distributorship in South Texas and is developing a $23 million horse racetrack in Hidalgo County.
The investigation now has expanded into whether Flores charged the the state for some of the same trips, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
Flores is chairman of the House committee that oversees gambling legislation.
His attorney, Roy Minton of Austin, confirmed his client is under investigation.
“The district attorney’s office is investigating how Kino paid for his travel expenses, which I believe was a proper way for such expenses to be paid,” Minton said. He also said he was aware that an FBI agent had been asking questions.
Minton said his client hitched a ride on the LaMantia plane three times on trips between Austin and McAllen. He said Flores reimbursed them $1,500, which is what he thought was fair market value.
State law, however, restricts lawmakers from accepting gifts with only a few exceptions. One is that lobbyists can pay for a lawmaker’s travel if it’s a fact-finding trip or the lawmaker plays a significant role, such as giving a speech, at an industry meeting.
Minton denied rumors that Flores is considering a plea offer in exchange for his resignation.
“There has been no offer or threat made by the district attorney,” Minton said.
The LaMantia family could not be reached for comment.
Flores is a key ally of Speaker Tom Craddick, a Midland Republican, who helped finance his re-election. Craddick is locked in a tough re-election battle of his own, asking the 150-members to re-elect him as speaker.
Flores’s availability would be crucial to Craddick’s re-election.
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November 6, 2008
Eissler's ethics settlement disclosed
The Texas Ethics Commission has fined Rep. Rob Eissler $10,600 and ordered him to repay his campaign $18,106 in improper expenditures.
That’s less than what Eissler, R-The Woodlands, indicated he might have to repay.
Eissler had told reporters earlier this year that he might have to repay as much as $52,000 that he paid his wife to run his legislative office. He also had paid $17,000 on expenses related to an Austin condo.
He paid for both out of his political donations.
State law prohibits a lawmaker paying himself, spouse or dependent children with political donations. The intent is to prevent a legislator from living off campaign donors. The law also allows members to pay for living expenses while in Austin but not to purchase real estate.
In Eissler’s case, he reported paying his wife $17,000 for rent on a condo in Hyde Park.
He swore in ethics commission documents that the money actually was for homeowner association dues for trash, water and other expenses allowed under the law.
“I am aware that I used the word ‘rent’ on the report,” Eissler told the commission. “However, for me, the use of the word ‘rent’ is interchangeable with an expense.”
The ethics commission also reduced the amount Eissler had to reimburse for paying his wife to run his legislative office because of statute of limitations.
The commission ordered Eissler to repay his campaign the $18,106 out of personal funds but the law allows a public official to pay the fine out of his political donations.
One unusual feature about the Eissler order: Although Eissler settled the complaint with the ethics commission months ago, the details of the settlement were not released at the time. As part of the settlement, the ethics commission agreed not to release it until now.
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September 3, 2008
TAB trial tentatively set for Nov. 10
State District Judge Mike Lynch on Wednesday tentatively ordered a trial for the Texas Association of Business on charges that it made illegal corporate contributions to its own political action committee.
In effect, the state’s largest business organization is accused of paying its officers with corporate dollars while they were politicking for a slate of legislative candidates in 2002.
The defense argued that the group’s actions were protected free speech, while prosecutors claim the association violated the state ban on spending corporate money in connection with campaigns.
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May 27, 2007
Perry getting ban on legislators renting from family
House members sent Gov. Rick Perry a proposal barring lawmakers from spending political donations on renting property from other family members. Last year, newspapers and political consultants revealed that some members were doing so.
According to a bill analysis, since 1996, the Texas Ethics Commission has approved the ethical and legal use of campaign funds for state legislators to pay rent for Austin lodging if the rented property is separate property owned by the legislator’s spouse.
Unsaid: But it smelled bad.
The approved measure prohibits legislators from using campaign funds to pay rent on either community property or separate property of their spouses.
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April 24, 2007
Texans for Public Justice report analyzes lawmakers' travel costs
Texans for Public Justice has tallied how much officeholder travel has been funded lately by lobbyists and other interests. Gov. Rick Perry tops the list of beneficiaries; he travels more than other officeholders. The report also digs out how much travel legislators have taken—with Sen. Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth, and Rep. Mike Krusee, R-Williamson County, among top beneficiaries.
TPJ doesn’t say any laws were broken, but the group advocates changes in law, however. Highlight: “Following Congress’ lead, Texas should ban lobbyists, lobby firms and their clients from giving any gifts of more than a nominal value to candidates, public officials or their staffs. Similarly, candidates, public officials and their staffs should be prohibited from flying on non-commercial aircraft furnished by outside private interests. Under such rules, Texas candidates, public officials and their staffs would limit their flights to commercial aircraft, state-maintained aircraft or their own personal aircraft.”
Read the report.
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April 12, 2007
Gift-definition proposal clears House
House members today sent the Senate a measure by Rep. Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin, requiring public officials to report the fair-market value of gifts.
Senators last month advanced a measure by Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, requiring officials to disclose the value of gifts they receive of $250 or more.
Look for the bodies to sort their differences, or not, by the end of the session May 28.
Existing law requires reporting of a gift of $250 in value or more, but not the precise value.
The Texas Ethics Commission advised last year that a state official need not report the value of a gift of cash or cash equivalent on his or her personal financial disclosure statement.
The issue of cash gifts dogged the commission after it was revealed that Bill Ceverha, a member of the state Employee Retirement System board, took $100,000 from Houston homebuilder Bob Perry, the state’s largest individual campaign donor.
Initially, Ceverha reported receiving a gift from Perry without identifying how much.
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February 12, 2007
House committees' agenda: Dinner.
Four Texas House committees plan to gather at Austin restaurants this week for getting-to-know-you dinners.
The dinners are not unusual, longtime Capitol folk say, but it is rare (very rare if you like steak that moos) to have committee chiefs post the meetings as public gatherings.
Not that members necessarily want the public to show up. Asked what might happen if anyone from the public shows up for the House Committee on Energy Resources’ dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Chairman Rick Hardcastle, R-Vernon, said: “Probably get asked to leave.” Then he said he was just trying to be funny.
Tonight, three committees — Rules and Resolutions, Financial Institutions and Law Enforcement — were scheduled to dine at Carmelo’s, Austin Land & Cattle Company and Ruth’s Chris, according to postings.
Denise Davis, the House parliamentarian, said she has informally advised House members to post the social events as meetings if they expect a quorum (or majority) of committee members to attend. She said she’s carrying forward a recommendation that germinated with a previous parliamentarian in 2003.
Who picks up the tabs?
Hardcastle said he plans to buy dinner for his colleagues by tapping his campaign kitty.
Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, said his the financial institutions panel’s dinner is being sponsored groups that don’t have business before the committee. Solomons’ office got more specific later and said the dinner was being sponsored Public Strategies, the law office of Jaime Capelo and Verizon — all entities that don’t have any business before the committee.
Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon, D-San Antonio, said it’s uncertain how the Committee on Rules and Resolutions’ dinner will be covered. “I’ll probably end up paying,” she said.
Rep. Valinda Bolton, D-Austin, a member of the rules and resolutions panel, said she planned to drop by the dinner before heading to Monday night’s meeting of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO). She said it could be her first meal at Carmelos. “I’m hoping somebody throws a bread stick in my general direction,” she said.
Rep. Joe Driver, chairman of the Committee on Law Enforcement, didn’t immediately return a call for comment.
