While the United States is celebrating 245 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence this weekend, the Texas Ethics Commission is only 30 years old.

Created in 1991 to “provide guidance on various public ethics laws" in Texas, both the current reporting standards in the Lone Star State and the agency that oversees them are relatively recent additions to the legislative process. The way constituents engage with their elected leaders and the limitations placed on that relationship continue to evolve.