A conservative grassroots organization has released a letter calling for significant reforms and condemning the Texas Ethics Commission for abusing its power against citizens.
Released on Wednesday, the letter is set to accompany True Texas Project President Fran Rhodes’ testimony before the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission on longstanding issues with the TEC—a state agency tasked with overseeing lawmakers’ salaries and investigating campaign law violations.
TTP CEO Julie McCarty and President Fran Rhodes specifically sent the letter to State Rep. Keith Bell (R-Forney), chairman of the commission, and Vice-Chair State Sen. Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound).
The Sunset Advisory Commission is charged with evaluating state agencies and determining if the agency mission need to be changed or even dissolved. It includes five senators, five representatives, and two members of the public appointed by the lieutenant governor and speaker of the House.
“Over the years, the TEC has shifted from its intended mission of ensuring transparency in government to becoming an instrument of punishment, disproportionately targeting ordinary Texans with punitive enforcement practices while neglecting its core responsibilities,” wrote McCarty.
“The Sunset Advisory Commission now has an opportunity to correct these systemic failures,” she continued. “The TEC’s jurisdiction over private citizens must end, and its resources must be refocused on providing transparency and accountability for public officials rather than prosecuting Texans who attempt to comply with its burdensome and confusing rules.”
The letter compliments a resolution passed by the Republican Party of Texas’ State Republican Executive Committee over the weekend that also condemned the TEC and called for reform.
Both petitions from the SREC and TTP follow the commission’s 2024-2025 staff report for the upcoming 89th Legislature, which identified problems stemming from the TEC’s sworn complaint process, including punitive overreach on private citizens.
The SREC resolution highlighted a recent example involving an elderly woman fined $17,500 because she could not physically appear before a hearing to clear up a minor mistake in filing her political expense reports.
TTP noted that the complicated sworn complaint process has led to an unsustainable caseload for the commission.
According to the staff report, 2024 set a record with 10,332 individual filers of TEC reports. This led to 7,045 phone calls to the TEC’s legal helpline as citizens sought guidance on complying with filing obligations.
Overall, the TEC received 543 complaints in 2024, a 40 percent increase from 2023.
“This system, which punishes well-meaning individuals who are trying to comply with a byzantine system of regulation while allowing larger players to evade scrutiny, silences grassroots voices and undermines public trust,” read the TTP letter.
TTP also criticized SAC’s staff report as bewilderingly recommending “less oversight for the TEC, not more.” The report notably recommends reducing the evidentiary standard in courts.
“Instead of addressing these issues, the TEC has chosen to prioritize expanding its enforcement powers and pursuing costly legal battles,” the report added.
In order to fix the problem, TTP is calling for more transparency and accountability, refocusing the commission’s priorities on lawmakers, and making ethical obligations rest entirely upon officeholders who have access to legal counsel and resources.
At one point, the TEC’s criminal jurisdiction was almost entirely restricted to officeholders. However, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals determined in a controversial ruling this September that its criminal court authority covered private citizens.
“Texans deserve a government that supports their participation in the political process, not one that punishes those ‘sweet simple people’ who attempt to comply,” concluded TTP’s letter.
No ads. No paywalls. No government grants. No corporate masters.
Just real news for real Texans.
Support Texas Scorecard to keep it that way!
