Texas Panel Eyes Disclosure Rules for Nonprofit Politicking

The Texas Ethics Commission has drawn up draft regulations that would require nonprofits to identify their donors if they devote at least a quarter of their spending to political activities, the San Antonio Express-News reports. The proposal, unveiled Thursday, would also mandate disclosure if more than 25 percent of contributions to a group are deemed political.

The rules aim to define when politicking becomes a nonprofit’s “principal purpose” and such groups should be treated as political-action committees, which are required to reveal their funding sources. The commission could vote on the plan at its next meeting in October, following a period of public comment. Governor Rick Perry vetoed a bill last year that would have required 501(c)4 entities that spent more than $25,000 on politicking to identify donors of more than $1,000.