The following is a press release from the office of District 90 Rep. Lon Burnam of Fort Worth:
Press Release
House Passes Ceverha Cash Gift Law
(Austin, TX) -- Today, the Texas House passed SB 129 which definitively requirespublic officials to disclose the value of monetary gifts they receive that exceed $250 invalue. The Governor is expected to sign the bill now that it has passed both chambers.
This issue first came to light after Bob Perry gave ERS board member and Tom
Craddick-confidante Bill Ceverha two checks worth $50,000 each. Ceverha tried to describe $100,000 in cash gifts merely as"checks," without disclosing the amount.
Ceverha is the former treasurer for Tom DeLay's TRMPAC.
“I have spent the past two years working for greater transparency and disclosure in state ethics laws,” said State Rep. Lon Burnam (D-Fort Worth).
“Hopefully, with the passage of this bill, the Texas Ethics Commission will no longerbe able to turn a blind eye when Republican cronies attempt to avoid disclosure,” saidBurnam. “I’m very disappointed that the Ethics Commission didn’t do the right thingin the first place.”
“I’ve introduced legislation, HB 2451, to require the Ethics Commission to interpretand implement statutes so that this kind of situation doesn’t happen again.
“The Legislature should not have to do the Ethics Commission’s job by making lawswhen rules will suffice,” Burnam continued. “The Legislature only meets for five months every two years. We rely on state agencies to make rules to uphold the intent of the law. The Commission failed us in the Ceverha gift case.
“Hopefully in the future they will require disclosure of the amount of a $100,000 gift.’”
Rep. Burnam’s HB 2451 passed the House overwhelmingly and is currently in the Senate State Affairs Committee.
House Passes Ceverha Cash Gift Law
(Austin, TX) -- Today, the Texas House passed SB 129 which definitively requirespublic officials to disclose the value of monetary gifts they receive that exceed $250 invalue. The Governor is expected to sign the bill now that it has passed both chambers.
This issue first came to light after Bob Perry gave ERS board member and Tom
Craddick-confidante Bill Ceverha two checks worth $50,000 each. Ceverha tried to describe $100,000 in cash gifts merely as"checks," without disclosing the amount.
Ceverha is the former treasurer for Tom DeLay's TRMPAC.
“I have spent the past two years working for greater transparency and disclosure in state ethics laws,” said State Rep. Lon Burnam (D-Fort Worth).
“Hopefully, with the passage of this bill, the Texas Ethics Commission will no longerbe able to turn a blind eye when Republican cronies attempt to avoid disclosure,” saidBurnam. “I’m very disappointed that the Ethics Commission didn’t do the right thingin the first place.”
“I’ve introduced legislation, HB 2451, to require the Ethics Commission to interpretand implement statutes so that this kind of situation doesn’t happen again.
“The Legislature should not have to do the Ethics Commission’s job by making lawswhen rules will suffice,” Burnam continued. “The Legislature only meets for five months every two years. We rely on state agencies to make rules to uphold the intent of the law. The Commission failed us in the Ceverha gift case.
“Hopefully in the future they will require disclosure of the amount of a $100,000 gift.’”
Rep. Burnam’s HB 2451 passed the House overwhelmingly and is currently in the Senate State Affairs Committee.
Rep. Burnam, and the other Representatives and Senators who voted for this bill deserve our thanks for passing Senate Bill 129. It was badly needed since the Ethics Committee had refused to do its job. Now they need to finish the job, and pass HB 2451.
If they do, maybe now we will have accountability for state officials. Burnam has been fighting for this kind of accountability for months, and it is nice to see his efforts pay off.
As for the Ethics Committee, it is just sad that they must be forced by the legislature to do their job. If they had any ethics, they would resign, and allow their positions to be filled by Texans who are not too corrupt or too afraid to do the job.
After all the ridiculous bills that have been debated this year (and some even passed), it is good to see our legislature actually do something for the good of the citizens of Texas.
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