Dallas billionaire fined for illegal GOP contributions

[TexasTowelie]

Source: AP

AUSTIN — State ethics officials fined Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons' political action committee $6,450 over campaign contributions to Texas lawmakers that were illegal because the prominent Republican donor was the sole donor to the PAC.

The ruling by the Texas Ethics Commission comes nearly a year after a watchdog group filed a complaint against WCS-Texas Solutions, which has called the nearly $65,000 in illegal campaign contributions the result of a mistake. The PAC was created by Waste Control Specialists, which is owned by Simmons and runs a nuclear waste site in West Texas.

State law requires PACs to have at least 10 donors before handing out campaign contributions. But when the newly formed PAC gave 18 state lawmakers — 15 Republicans and three Democrats — between $1,000 and $10,000 in 2011, Simmons was the sole source of the funds.

Texans for Public Justice, the nonprofit advocacy group that filed the complaint, said Wednesday it was disappointed in the "meager" size of the penalty.

Read more: http://amarillo.com/news/latest-news/2013-01-02/dallas-billionaire-fined-illegal-gop-contributions

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More on the story at link.

[reteachinwi]

1. Texas Ethics Commission!

Who knew?

[jerseyjack]

13. They must get a lot of work to do.

[lexw]

2. $6450.00? He's probably got that in his wallet.

[Spirochete]

5. Or in his couch cushions

That penalty is a fucking joke.

[defacto7]

9. EEhhh...

That's just about the cost of his lunch tab.

[Lasher]

3. Oh look, they fined a billionaire $6,450

This will serve as a powerful deterrent to all billionaires nationwide.

[defacto7]

10. It's so small

I think he will have trouble finding it. Any amount under $50,000 is hard to see without help from his staff. Too few zeros.

[LeftInTX]

4. One of Perry's cronies

What a pathetic penalty. Oh well, it's better than nothing.

[DFW]

6. Key phrase: "State law requires....."

These guys don't conform to laws, state, federal or local.

[Tigress DEM]

7. NOW Citizens of Texas should sue the Policitians who RECEIVED the Money to "give it back".

It could go toward a "campaign finance reform fund" that can only be used on bills that propose ways of ending illegal campaign financing from happening BEFORE the election.

[Cha]

8. The fine may have been paltry BUT, .. Look how much he LOST to mittLIES HA!

Simmons, 81, is a longtime backer of conservative causes. An Associated Press examination of federal campaign contributions in October showed Simmons spending $16.5 million in support of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, ranking Simmons third among the biggest GOP donors, behind Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and Houston homebuilder Bob Perry.

[defacto7]

11. Yeah..I'm sure he can see that one without a microscope.

[jerseyjack]

12. That'l fix his sorry ass.

[eggplant]

14. They just wanted their cut. n/t