► KGBT-TV - 12/29/08 – Texas Ethics Commission fines Valley lawmaker Print

KGBT-TV - Dec. 29, 2008 – Texas Ethics Commission fines Valley lawmaker

TEXAS The Texas Ethics Commission has fined a South Texas lawmaker $3,000 for not reporting key identifying information for some campaign contributors.
 
State Representative Rene Oliveira is a Brownsville Democrat. The commission says he omitted the occupations and employers of several contributors who gave him $500 or more in 2006 and for the 2008 Democratic primary.
Oliveira tells The Brownsville Herald that the problem results from what he calls "a series of record keeping errors that were made unintentionally and in haste." He says the reports were corrected within 14 days of being brought to his attention.
The investigation stemmed from a complaint filed in February by California ethics watchdog Dave Palmer.
Palmer says he's pleased the commission responded to his complaints, but hoped it would crackdown on abuses.