Austin, Texas, Dec 19, 2019 / 14:10 pm
Pro-life group Texas Right to Life has been issued a $7,500 fine by the Texas Ethics Commission for illegally funding a political radio ad for the 2018 re-election campaign of a Republican state senator, Texas sources have reported.
The ethics commission's general counsel, Ian Steusloff, told The Dallas Morning News that corporations are normally banned by state law from politically funding candidates or representatives currently in office.
The commission issued the fine to Texas Right to Life, the state affiliate of National Right to Life, in November after it was found that the group's corporate branch, not its political action committee, had paid $37,915 for a radio ad for the campaign of Senator Bob Hall.
Kimberlyn Schwartz, director of media and communication for Texas Right to Life, told The Dallas Morning News that the group had already "self-corrected and self-reported" the error, and said that the ethics commission "is known for targeting citizens and nonprofits, including Texas Right to Life."