Travel Reforms

Texas’ crazy-quilt system for reporting travel expenditures that private interests donate to public officials is at once too lenient and too complex. It is not difficult to envision a simpler system that provides greater transparency and better protects the public interest in good government.

Following Congress’ lead, Texas should ban lobbyists, lobby firms and their clients from giving any gifts of more than a nominal value to candidates, public officials or their staffs. Similarly, candidates, public officials and their staffs should be prohibited from flying on non-commercial aircraft furnished by outside private interests. Under such rules, Texas candidates, public officials and their staffs would limit their flights to commercial aircraft, state-maintained aircraft or their own personal aircraft.

The Texas Department of Transportation keeps records of flights on state-maintained aircraft that record the flight’s purpose, cost and dates, as well as passenger names and arrival and departure cities. Recent Texas Ethics Commission rules require candidates and officials to report similar information when they travel out of state on other aircraft. This requirement should be extended to in-state travel and to House Speaker candidates.

Finally, although lobbyists, candidates and state officials file travel disclosures with the Texas Ethics Commission in an electronic format that easily can be posted on the Internet, the agency has not done so. As a result, the data are difficult for the public to access. Both the Texas Ethics Commission and the Texas Department of Transportation should collect travel data electronically and post it on the Internet.