November 4, 2014      5:18 PM
Federal lawsuit is filed over new Texas Ethics Commission dark money rule
Complaint says the rule is “not narrowly tailored to serve a compelling state interest”
As
expected, a federal lawsuit has been filed after the Texas Ethics Commission recently adopted a rule aimed at exposing donors of some dark money
groups. Both Republicans and Democrats on the commission unanimously voted at
their last meeting to require nonprofits that try to influence elections to reveal
their donors if they spend 25 percent or more of their annual budget on politics.
The
commission had already sought to clarify that dark money groups can spend up to
20 percent of their revenue on political expenditures without disclosing the
names of donors. That would be a “safe harbor.”
The
Lake
Travis Citizens Council, a group that describes itself in a court
filing as citizens who are committed to making "life better for the
citizens, businesses, and communities in the Lake Travis area," filed suit
in the Western District of Texas. Named in the suit is the agency’s
executive director, Natalia Ashley,
in her official capacity.
By Scott Braddock
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