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Campaign Finance

Reform Austin is dedicated to increasing transparency by engaging and educating taxpayers about what goes on behind the doors of our state Capitol. Our mission is to ensure our elected leaders are working for the public good. 
Campaign finance is all about money in politics and the corrupting influence it has. Reform Austin provides investigative reporting on who is funding campaigns, how much candidates are receiving, and how it influences votes. This includes the millions of dollars in special interest cash that pour into campaign coffers, and the lobbyists and political action committees (PACs) who contribute with the expectation that legislators will vote for them, rather than for their constituents. 
Campaign finance reports are filed semi-annually with the Texas Ethics Commission and are made available to the public. During election years, candidates must file two additional pre-election reports: one 30 days prior and one eight days prior to an election. 
These reports are comprised of total political contributions (the total amount of money a candidate or officeholder raised in the last six months), total expenditures (the total amount of money a candidate or officeholder spent in the last six months), and cash on hand (the total amount of money a candidate has to spend).
Contributions tell us who donated to a candidate or officeholder. They often speak to the motivations the person might have should they be elected. 
Reform Austin also reports on legislation, laws, and reforms concerning campaign finance, such as closing loopholes in the moratorium to give taxpayers more confidence in their representatives. Elected officials should be looking out for us, not their big donors.

Joe Straus, former House speaker, wakes the sleeping centrist giant of the Republican Party.

Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) will return to Texas politics after retiring from his representative seat in 2017. With the announcement of Texas...

Donna Campbell, friend of the insurance industry

A year ago, Hurricane Harvey ravaged a huge swath of Texas with torrential rain and devastating winds, becoming one of the costliest storms in...
HD-100 campaign finance

Campaign finance reports are out. Here’s what they tell us.

Monday, July 15 marked the second filing deadline this year for statewide candidates and officeholders to file a campaign finance report.

Big insurance companies feel safe with Steve Allison

The question is, given all the special interest money he is receiving, who will Steve Allison represent in Austin - his contributors or Texas homeowners?

How much do out-of-state donations affect Texas campaigns?

Think the Illuminati has a shady hold on Texas campaign finance? Think again. We’ve analyzed all of the state House of Representatives...

Top 10 Texas PACs With the Most Cash on Hand

After a very expensive 2020 general election fight over control of the Texas House, many political committees drained out much of their...

Brad Buckley, the Special Interest Candidate

Who will Brad Buckley work for in the Texas House - his campaign contributors, or the people he’s supposed to represent?

Matt Rinaldi doesn't listen to Texans

We won’t get the consumer protection we deserve- on insurance, from utilities, from corporations; As long as the business lobbyists have their deals and willing politicians like Matt Rinaldi.

We can't trust Dennis Paul with our money

As Texans know all too well, money can have a large influence in decision making for elected officials, and that's exactly what special interest...

Kimberly Olson out raises Sid Miller in agriculture commissioner race

Kimberly Olson has raised nearly five times as much as incumbent Sid Miller in the race for Texas agriculture commissioner.

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