Filing a Report
Speaker candidate(s)/officholder of the house must file electronically with the Texas Ethics Commission. You are a filer filer type SPK.
If you don't know if you have a Filer ID, see Filer ID below.
If you can't login to your account because you forgot your password, you can click Forgot Password? at the login screen to reset your password. For more information, see Forgot Password below.
If you already have a Filer ID and will be filing electronically, use the LOGIN below to access your account. If you are not sure if you file electronically, see Who Has to File Electronically? below.
If you qualify to file paper reports, remember EACH REPORT must be accompanied by the proper exemption affidavit. Speaker reports can only be filed electronically.
If you are a new filer and are unsure whether you file with TEC or a local filing authority, see "Filing as TEC or Local Filer?". All TEC filers will be assigned an 8 digit Filer ID number, sometimes called an account number, like 00049300. The only exception to this rule are Governor For A Day and Speaker Day Reunion filers which do not have filer id's and file on paper only.
If you are a TEC filer and do not have a filer id, you will most likely need to file a Treasurer Appointment form in order to be assigned a number. Exception filers that do not file a TA in order to be assigned a filer id:
- DCE filers that are organized as a PAC commonly refered to as Super PAC will need to file a Statement to Act as Direct Campaign Expenditure Only Committee affidavit.
- LEG filers will need to send a letter to the commission indicating that they are being created. See the Guidelines for Forming Legislative Caucus.
- SPK filers will need to send a Declaration of Speaker Candidacy to the commission even though they will use the same filer id as they use for their candidate/officeholder account.
- Lobbyists will need to file Filer ID Request/Name Change form.
- Appointees will need to have a letter sent by their appointer (usually the governor or an executive head).
If you are a new TEC filer and do not qualify to file on paper, you must also submit a Form SECURITY to gain access to the Commission’s electronic filing application.
The filing application can be started by using a personal computer or laptop, a Mac desktop computer or MacBook, or a Tablet to bring up a browser window. Acceptable browsers and their minimal version level are:
- Chrome 4
- Firefox 15
- Opera 12.1
- Safari 4
- Internet Explorer 9 (IE is no longer supported by Microsoft and is not recommended)
Importing Contributions and Expenditures from a Spreadsheet into the ApplicationDue to a change in the law, effective January 20th, 2024, the Texas Ethics Commission changed the Expenditures Import files. All Schedule F4 expenditures need to include the name of the financial institution that issued the credit card that was used for the expenditure transaction along with the dates, if any, during the reporting period on which the credit card company was repaid.
- Campaign Finance Import Guide/Instructions
- Contributions Template
- Expenditures Template
- Expenditures Template (with child records)
- CSV Import File Format Verifier Application
- Video: How to Import Contributions and Expenditures
Opinions
- August 2008 Ruling on Chapter 302, Government Code
- Ethics Advisory Opinion No. 481: A candidate for speaker of the house of representatives may expend campaign funds to employ the services of a professional fundraiser provided that the services and additional funds raised are used only for the candidate’s campaign for speaker in accordance with chapter 302 of the Government Code.
- Ethics Advisory Opinion No. 479: Whether a general-purpose political committee may ask a candidate for the house of representatives questions concerning candidates for speaker of the house of representatives and whether the committee may base its decision to support or not to support the candidate for the house of representatives on the responses to those questions.
- Ethics Advisory Opinion No. 474: Whether certain conduct constitutes legislative bribery under chapter 302 of the Government Code.
- Ethics Advisory Opinion No. 286: Whether it is permissible to contribute surplus funds from a campaign for Speaker of the House of Representatives to charitable organizations.
- Ethics Advisory Opinion No. 170: Whether a former speaker candidate may return to contributors surplus funds contributed for use in a campaign for speaker of the house of representatives.
- Ethics Advisory Opinion No. 24: Whether an unsalaried board member of a state agency may make political contributions to candidates for public office and speaker candidates.
- Attorney General Opinion H-55 (1973): The Attorney General concluded that, subject to the limitations in Section 302.019, Government Code, an individual may make contributions of money, services, and other things of value to a speaker candidate.
Laws & Regulations
- Chapters 18 & 20-26, Commission Rules
- Title 15, Election Code
- Chapter 302 of the Government Code: Speaker of the House of Representatives Texas Ethics Commission Rules, Chapter 28: Reports By a Candidate for Speaker of the House of Representatives