Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Commons^™

Legislative Ethics, 1973., James R. Nowlin

St. Mary's Law Journal

Approaching the 63d Regular Session of the Texas State Legislature, the need to establish new standards of ethical conduct for the attorney-legislators had increased substantially in public support. The “Sharpstown” Bank scandal and the recent indictments of several present and former state legislators, on numerous counts of theft of state funds, had severely eroded public confidence in the moral turpitude of state lawmakers. This study examines the Texas state legislative process and the conflicting interests that arise in the task of drafting and passing bills in the House of Representatives and the Senate. There were several attempts, prior to 1973, …