| ► Dallas Morning News - 12/29/08 - Ethics Comm. fines Brownsville legislator |
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Dallas Morning News - Dec. 29, 2008 - Ethics Comm. fines Brownsville legislator
Ethics commission fines Brownsville legislator
The Texas Ethics Commission fined a South Texas legislator $3,000 for not reporting key identifying information for some campaign contributors.
Rep. Rene Oliveira, D-Brownsville, left out the occupations and employers of several contributors who gave him $500 or more in 2006 and for the 2008 Democratic primary.
"It was a series of record keeping errors that were made unintentionally and in haste," Oliveira told the Brownsville Herald in a prepared statement released Sunday. "The reports were corrected within 14 days of this being brought to my attention, and I can assure you that my future reports will meet all requirements."
The investigation stemmed from a complaint filed in February by Dave Palmer, an ethics watchdog in Folsom, Calif. Palmer filed complaints against Oliveira, Brownsville Democrat Sen. Eddie Lucio, six state judges, an appellate judge, two Supreme Court justices and 14 other legislators.
Palmer said he was pleased the commission responded to his complaints but hoped it would crack down on abuses.
Oliveira also said that he used his own money — he had deposited $18,000 of personal funds into his campaign account — for living expenses while in Austin. Palmer had accused him of using campaign funds for laundry and dry cleaning.
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