this Houston area state representative
tops the list of Texas lawmakers who
have unpaid fines now these aren't
traffic tickets or parking infractions
we're talking about violations of the
state's ethics laws and the unpaid fines
are stacking up channel 2 investigator
Mario Diaz track down representative ron
reynolds to find out how much he owes
and why he hasn't paid
ethics a six letter word defined as the
discipline dealing with what is good and
bad with moral duty and obligation moral
duty and obligation you can find it on
any given day at a local DMV office your
wife's here to get our license right
correct
drive without a license we would get a
fight fail to pay tickets
that's a warrant that's gonna last about
five teen years drivers aren't the only
ones being held accountable teachers
must comply with their own strict
standards the Texas Education Agency has
the ability to put the recertification
of a teacher's license on hold if that
teacher has fallen behind on their
student loan payments but in Austin an
elected official can rack up fine after
fine after fine and still be just fine
representative Reynolds hi Mario Diaz in
the channel two state Rep Ron Reynolds
is the prime example since 2011 he's
represented the state's 27th district in
Fort Bend County Reynolds is no stranger
to the state's Ethics Commission as of
January 26th he is the most delinquent
lawmaker in the state
owing more than 52 thousand dollars in
ethics fines for failure to comply with
campaign laws for nearly two years
Reynolds did not file personal and
campaign finance reports this number
here is this number accurate this is
what we got from the Texas Ethics
Commission $2,000 if that's accurate we
you know you see you know a whole bunch
of other people here are you calling
them as well or are you just singling me
out yeah well you're the state
representative serve the highest total
of ethical fines in the state of Texas
you're in the Houston area okay channel
2 covers Houston news and I'm asking you
a question sir is that number coming
down is that the numbers that that
number is coming that numbers been
coming down because we've been we've
been paying on this fine so Reynolds
admits he still owes right about fifty
thousand fifty two thousand dollars
being owed by an elected official while
you're watching teachers lose their
licenses this was state representative
Sarah Davis after last month's House
General investigating and Ethics
Commission hearing in Austin the
committee chair making it clear it does
seem just that this is going on Hugh
Brady is director of the legislative
lawyering clinic at the University of
Texas School of Law
he says failure to follow the prized
voters of key information if you don't
file your campaign finance reports they
don't know who's funding your campaign
if you don't file your personal
financial statements they don't know if
you have any conflicts of interest I
haven't had an interstitials call me
about these about the files but you're
almost saying well listen it's okay
because no one's calling my office I'm
telling you that has a been it hasn't
been an issue has a relation and here's
a twist
Reynolds finds relate to an area he
actually helps regulate in Austin
these were relate to you know having a
campaign report filed late but that's
what this that's what this relates to
you sit on the committee for elections
do you know yes I do a sign of the
political times that does not sit well
with those following the rules
back at the DMV it doesn't sound bad
it's not good probably he needs to be
held accountable at some point although
he says he has paid roughly fifteen
hundred dollars Reynolds says he hopes
to have the remaining balance paid by
November the six now wait for this
because that date is election day yeah
you know it is a bit ironic that he's on
the election committee and yet he's
racking up these fines relating to his
camp right no one no doubt about it
Dominica no because of the fact that
this is in his wheelhouse he knows
everything there is to do when it comes
to campaigns and finance but yet when it
comes to him he gets racked up sometimes
he's gonna hold anybody else's feet to
the fire when you know he's guilty of
himself yeah you know it's interesting
we I asked a question along those lines
accountability exactly the hue brainian
say so who enforces in these kinds of
situations the answer he says this is an
issue that the Attorney General should
look at well okay maybe so thank you