Wendy Davis fined for ethics violation
AUSTIN — Former state Sen. Wendy Davis has been fined by a state regulator for failing to properly disclose her business relationships with two lobbyists, capping a years-long ethics inquiry that erupted into a flashpoint during her 2012 re-election campaign.
The Texas Ethics Commission, in an order released this week, ruled on a complaint lodged nearly three years ago by Davis's Republican opponent, Mark Shelton, toward the end of a rancorous multi-million dollar state Senate campaign that Davis narrowly won.
The commission found "credible evidence" that Davis, an attorney, ran afoul of state law by failing to report on personal financial disclosure forms her connection to lobbyists registered on behalf of two law firms she did work for. The commission also ruled that Davis did not disclose the two law firms as entities that employed lobbyists and also compensated her.
The violations occurred on reports detailing Davis's financial activity for calendar years 2010 and 2011.
As part of an agreement, Davis has paid a $5,000 fine, the largest levied by the commission in nearly a year, but said she fully disclosed everything required under state law when filling out her financial statements.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/politics/texas_legislature/article/Wendy-Davis-fined-for-ethics-violation-6251816.php