A robust ethics reform package fails again

There is not much to say about Lt. Gov Dan Patrick that is positive.

Bombastic and strident, his determination to pass his agenda at all costs has even alienated some within his own party.

But we’ll give credit where it’s due. He, like Gov. Greg Abbott, has made ethics reform a priority.

“The Ethics Reform and Anti-Corruption Act of 2017,” a rather robust reform package was the first bill passed out of the Senate this legislative session.

But Senate Bill 14 languished in the House.

Indeed, barely half of the proposals contained in that bill are making it to Abbott’s desk as separate pieces of legislation.

The ethics measures that have been scrapped include one that would have established a two-year “cooling-off” period for lawmakers looking to become lobbyists after leaving office, a bill that would have prohibited local elected officials from becoming state-level lobbyists, and a proposal that would have increased disclosure requirements for lobbyists with regard to whom they were courting.

Not all the news is bad.

Several ethics bills should meet with the governor’s pen.

Awaiting his signature are House Bill 505, which would prohibit ex-lawmakers from using political contributions to kick-start their lobbying businesses; Senate Bill 500, which would strip pension benefits from lawmakers convicted of corruption; and House Bill 501, which would enforce reporting requirements for legislators and candidates who earn money from local governments.

All three are good and much-needed pieces of legislation.

Still, the failure or inability of House leaders to more aggressively tackle the failing bills is disappointing.

Gov. Abbott made ethics reform a top priority when he first took office.

Several years later, ethics legislation still plods slowly through the Legislature.

If only Dan Patrick would champion it with the same enthusiasm as he does the so-called “bathroom bill.”

This story was originally published May 26, 2017 at 6:18 PM with the headline "A robust ethics reform package fails again."