In 2007, the Texas Ethics Commission found credible evidence that then-State Senator Dan Patrick improperly reported approximately $73,500 in political expenditures as vague "reimbursements" — without the required vendor details or stated purposes, in violation of the Texas Election Code.
He corrected the filings and the matter was resolved via Agreed Resolution SC-2612262. The full document is publicly available from the Texas Ethics Commission.
Public records also show instances of late campaign filings that drew reduced penalties. One documented example appears in TEC meeting minutes from 2013. Additional instances are on file in public TEC records; readers are encouraged to review the primary documents directly at ethics.state.tx.us.
The pattern is consistent: when it comes to disclosure requirements designed to let Texans see who is funding their politicians, Dan Patrick has repeatedly fallen short — and only corrected the record when caught.