The Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission held a day-long meeting on March 26 to consider rule changes and to conclude ethics complaints. The proposed rule changes are to aid in the implementation of ethics reforms passed nearly two years ago.

The new lobbyist gift law sets a $75 limit on some gifts, exempts other gifts, and completely prohibits any gift not otherwise limited or exempted. Lobbyists, public officials, and the public still have questions about how the limits are supposed to be followed.

The commission approved a rule to regulate lobbyist gifts to family members of public officials, but tabled rules about how often a lobbyist can give a $75 gift and whether multiple lobbyists can split the cost of a gift valued at more than $75.

The commission closed about two dozen ethics complaints, with another 220 cases yet to be decided. The next commission meeting is scheduled for June 25, 2015.

Trustees of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) hope to change ethics rules involving vendor contracting.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the new rules would require trustees to disclose relationships with vendors, prohibit trustees from voting on contracts where a vendor contributed $500 or more to a trustee’s political campaign, and prohibit vendors’ contributions while bidding for HISD contracts.

Last October, similar ethics changes were discussed but not implemented by HISD. The trustees are expected to vote on new policies in September.