Holding State Officials Accountable.

As local news organizations face ever-deepening cuts in their editorial budgets, CfA tracks local and state officials whose self-serving actions may otherwise go undetected. Below are some of the highlights of our state oversight work.

Highlights

CfA has worked to hold state and local officials accountable.

Florida

In November 2019, CfA called on the Florida Commission on Ethics to investigate whether Florida State Representative David Scott Plakon violated the Florida Constitution and state ethics laws by failing to properly disclose information about his myriad business interests on his personal financial disclosure forms.

North Carolina

In March 2018, CfA called on the North Carolina State Ethics Commission to investigate whether Tim Moore, Speaker of the North Carolina General Assembly, violated state ethics law by pressuring officials at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to delay enforcing environmental laws on his company’s property.

In January 2019, CfA again called on North Carolina officials to investigate Tim Moore after CfA obtained new documents that revealed that one of Speaker Moore’s legislative aides inquired with DEQ officials about Speaker Moore’s company after the company apparently violated several environmental regulations.

In April 2019, CfA released a new report, Jason Saine: Hired Gun, revealing that North Carolina State Representative Jason Saine appears to have repeatedly introduced favorable legislation for the benefit of his campaign donors. CfA’s report details nine previously unreported examples of Rep. Saine’s apparent pay-to-play behavior, which in turn provided him with campaign cash he used to fund an extravagant, high-flying lifestyle.

Utah

In 2015, CfA called on Attorneys General in Utah, Arizona, and Montana to investigate Utah State Rep. Ken Ivory for fraud. CfA’s complaints alleged Rep. Ivory, as the then-president of the American Lands Council, had defrauded local governments by soliciting funds to advocate for a patently unconstitutional proposition: the transfer of national lands to state control. The Utah Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation, and Ivory stepped down as CEO of the American Lands Council amid public scrutiny.

In July 2016, CfA demanded an audit of the Utah Commission for the Stewardship of Public Lands after CfA reviewed invoices released by the commission and discovered numerous examples of luxury travel, billing inconsistencies, and apparently prohibited lobbying expenditures charged to Utah taxpayers. On September 13, 2016, we requested that the Commission release the results of its internal review.

In September 2017, CfA called on the Utah Commission for the Stewardship of Public Lands to release all communications, documents, and invoices submitted by its law firm, Davillier Law Group, LLC.  Press reports and public documents indicate the Commission has continued to work with Davillier, but the Commission has refused to release any documents or invoices prepared by the law firm.

In February 2018, CfA asked Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes to investigate Utah State Rep. Mike Noel for using his government positions to enrich himself and failing to disclose his conflicts of interest. Three weeks later, Rep. Noel announced his retirement from elected office.

Missouri

In April 2017, CfA asked the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri to open an investigation into whether Missouri State Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard violated federal law by accepting a $100,000 campaign contribution in return for legislative assistance. Richard accepted the contribution from TAMKO Building Products CEO and President David Humphrey, just six days after introducing legislation that could derail a class action lawsuit that could cost the company millions of dollars.

In September 2017, Campaign for Accountability called on Cole County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Richardson to investigate whether Paul Mouton, a political consultant for GOP megadonor David Humphreys, should be charged with a criminal offense for violating Missouri lobbying laws. Earlier that week, Mouton was fined a mere $200 by the Missouri Ethics Commission for illegally lobbying in the state Capitol.

Montana

In February 2017, CfA sued Montana State Senator Jennifer Fielder for failing to respond to an open records request relating to her work with the Utah-based nonprofit, the American Lands Council.

Continue reading about our State Oversight work below.

Texas

In September 2017, CfA filed a complaint with Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore requesting an investigation into whether the Heidi Group, an anti-abortion nonprofit based in Texas, violated criminal law by misappropriating taxpayer funds.  In addition, CfA filed a complaint against the group with the IRS.

Between 2016 and 2017, Texas Health and Human Services signed two contracts with the Heidi Group’s Executive Director, Carol Everett, designating nearly $7 million in state funds for the nonprofit.  The Heidi Group promised to provide family planning and reproductive health care to low income Texans by helping subcontractors expand their services.  The state of Texas initiated these programs after eliminating state funding for Planned Parenthood, which led to a significant decrease in women’s access to state health programs.

CfA’s six-month investigation of the Heidi Group, relying on thousands of pages of state records, revealed an appalling record of mismanagement and neglect by Everett. CfA found the Heidi Group provided almost no work for its $1.6 million contract through the Healthy Texas Women program or for its $5.1 million contract through the Family Planning Program.

Click here to read more about our work to advance reproductive rights.

Additionally, in June 2019, CfA called on the Texas Attorney General to direct the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to release records regarding an incident at a nightclub partially owned by Texas State Sen. Joan Huffman and her husband, Keith Lawyer.

Also, in July 2016, CfA released a report entitled Documenting Discrimination, which uncovered how national right wing religious groups – working through smaller local groups – are spearheading the movement to legalize discrimination against LGBT individuals through Religious Freedom Restoration Act (“RFRA”) legislation. In Texas, emails from a top staffer in the governor’s office revealed how First Liberty, which bills itself as “the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious liberty for all Americans,” worked hand-in-glove with a Texas group, Texas Values, to advance the state’s RFRA bill.

Oklahoma

In November 2017, CfA filed a lawsuit against Oklahoma officials for failing to release copies of audits and documents related to corruption allegations associated with the management of the Tar Creek Reclamation site. While he was serving as the Attorney General of Oklahoma, former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt declined to bring criminal charges in response to an audit that found evidence of criminal wrongdoing at the Tar Creek Reclamation site. The Oklahoma Attorney General’s office fought to prevent the release of the audit, but on April 9, 2018, Oklahoma Attorney General Hunter released the requested documents. CfA has since filed two more lawsuits to uncover why these audit documents were kept secret.

Click here to read about our Tar Creek audit lawsuits.

Kansas

In May 2016, CfA called on Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt to investigate former Johnson County Election Commissioner Brian Newby for flagrantly violating Kansas criminal law by submitting false expenses, misusing public funds, and conspiring to cover up his conduct. Our complaint detailed how Newby misspent government funds on toys, books, and travel, among other questionable expenses.

CfA continues to conduct investigations into the wrongdoings of state and local officials. Click below to learn about our most recent state oversight initiatives.