The Texas Ethics Commission struggles to enforce penalties for state campaign finance law violations, as compliance is mostly voluntary. The agency relies on the Texas attorney general to enforce fines, which has rarely happened under AG Ken Paxton. Fines are the primary enforcement mechanism to ensure political actors follow the law. But when the fines go unpaid, the attorney general's office—which can take delinquent individuals and groups to court—is responsible for forcing them to pay. For years, state Rep. Ron Reynolds has been the worst offender. He owes $77,013, dating back to at least 2014. The attorney general's office has sued him six times, seeking $34,500. Despite this and a criminal conviction for barratry, he has been reelected five times and remains in good standing with the Democratic caucus. This year, Democratic state Rep. Shawn Thierry failed to file a campaign finance report before the May 28 election, depriving voters of timely information about her financial b...