The Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) regularly requires officeholders, candidates, and PACs to report the money they’ve raised and spent during a specific time period. The first reporting period for 2017 started on January 1, 2017, and ends today, June 30, 2017. These reports are required, ostensibly, to ensure this information is available to citizens. However, …

Conventional wisdom in the Texas Capitol is that politicians, particularly Republicans, must decide if they are with voters or the business community. Allegedly one cannot advocate on behalf of both. A more honest explanation of the battle within the Republican party comes down to whether politicians want to side with voters and business owners who …

Once every two years when the Texas Legislature is in session for 140 days, all legislators in the Capitol, along with statewide elected officials, are subject to a moratorium on accepting political contributions. This policy was enacted to prevent the conflict of interest that would inevitably arise should lobbyists and other special interest groups be …

In the Texas House of Representatives, while each piece of legislation is referred to an issue specific committee, one committee has veto power over every single measure before it reaches the full House for a vote: the House Committee on Calendars. Republican State Representative Todd Hunter is currently serving his fourth term (out of ten …

Ultra-liberal power couple Steve and Amber Mostyn have long been some of the biggest players in Texas politics. They are founders of the eponymous Mostyn Law Firm located in Houston which specializes in suing insurance companies over storm-related claims. In fact, in the wake of Hurricanes Rita and Ike, after Steve Mostyn settled a class …