TCAN

The Good
Responding to widespread voter anger over dozens of lawmakers involved in corruption scandals, the House of Representatives this week overwhelmingly passed the most sweeping ethics overhaul in more than three decades.
Approved this week by a vote of 411-8, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act mainly aims to curb the huge influence that […]

We got a number of responses to our message yesterday regarding the Villareal redistricting bill. Here’s an especially heartfelt one:
… my parents and extended family who do live in [Rep Crabb’s] district were once very true and loyal conservative Republicans. …since the Tom Delay fiasco I’ve noticed them becoming increasingly apathetic… Most of them […]

Some good news from today’s House Elections Committee hearing:
(1) It started on time! (2) It ended at a reasonable time! (3) The committee passed HB 158, by Rep. Elliott Naishtat (as amended slightly by a committee substitute), which would require reporting of the cash value or fair market value of all gifts to public […]

Ethics—honesty, accountability, and disclosure issues—have become a major subject of concern in our nation. Numerous public elected and appointed officials from several states and from the federal government recently have been found guilty of criminal offenses stemming from violations of state and federal ethics laws and regulations.
When people who hold the public trust, […]

Privately funded (traditional) campaigns are a corrupting force in state and national politics. Some elected officials are able to weather this environment, but for anyone holding office, the constant need to raise money is, at a minimum, a distraction.
While they are the norm, privately funded campaigns are undemocratic simply because large donors have a […]