Watchdogs on short leashes

By Kenneth Vogel and Leah Rush

For most legislatures, ethics enforcement is an in-house affair; for the rest, agencies that oversee them are kept on a short leash

Policing the politicians; state ethics commissions lack muscle

By Caitlin Ginley

Underfunded, politically crippled commissions frequently do little more than slap wrists

Excerpts from this story referencing "Texas":

"… hat do have ethics panels, some are clearly making an honest go of it. The Texas Ethics Commission, charged with overseeing campaign finance and lobbying r …"

"… th in the state ethics law.”Policing the Powerful: No Teeth, No Bite The Texas Ethics Commission consists of eight board members: four appointed by the g …"

"… gation, six out of the eight board members must agree, which, according to Texas attorney and good government advocate Fred Lewis, makes for a dysfunctiona …"

"… ssion is completely driven by outside complaints, which must be filed by a Texas resident and cannot be anonymous. Executive director David Reisman said th …"

More cities offering wireless Internet access

By David Baumgarten

Bells call it unfair competition

Excerpts from this story referencing "Texas Ethics Commission":

"… ts list SBC as a client for 2005 on registration forms they filed with the Texas Ethics Commission — on the statehouse in Austin. With Verizon lobbyists also supporting H. …"