AUSTIN (WBAP/KLIF) – Texas State Representative Eric Johnson said Monday that he plans to file major anti-corruption legislation this week.
The announcement comes on the heels of a guilty plea by a former Dallas City Councilwoman for taking $40,000 in bribes from a real estate developer. Rep Johnson said Carolyn Davis’s plea is the latest in a series of scandals involving the approval of affordable housing projects in Dallas.
When developers are seeking affordable housing tax credits, support from elected officials is part of the
criteria used to evaluate those proposals. Under Rep. Johnson’s bill, backing from elected officials would
no longer factor into the evaluation and scoring process.
“Too many elected officials have abused their role in this process and abandoned their commitment to their constituents,” said Rep. Johnson, D-Dallas. “These stories have become far too familiar, and I’m tired of reacting to the crimes. We need to prevent the crimes.”
Rep. Johnson plans to file the bill by Friday, which is the last day for filing bills in this year’s legislative session. While the bill will eliminate the use of elected official support letters in the scoring process, the bill will continue to include support from community organizations and neighborhood
associations as part of the scoring process.
“The affordable housing tax credit program has become the mother’s milk of political corruption in Dallas,” Rep. Johnson said. “We need affordable housing in Dallas, but this approval process has to change.”
Rep. Johnson has worked with members of both political parties to fight corruption since he was first elected to the Texas House nine years ago. He led the push to bar state legislators convicted of crimes related to public corruption from receiving taxpayer funded pensions.
“The people of Dallas need a tougher law to address this issue,” Rep. Johnson said. “The Legislature can act immediately since we are in session for the next three months. I am going to work in a bipartisan fashion with my colleagues on the Urban Affairs Committee to pass this bill and shut down this
particular form of corruption. This is the right thing to do for Dallas and for the State of Texas. ”
Rep. Johnson announced his proposal at a Monday press conference in Austin. He was joined by Rep. Angie Chen Button, R-Richardson, who chairs the House Urban Affairs Committee.
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