Getting ready for the November elections, the Travis County Repub­lican Party has decided to target a new Democratic political action committee. On June 24, they filed a complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission about an attack ad from the new Back to Basics PAC. Titled “Rick Perry: Penny Pincher,” the ad savages the GOP incumbent for living a profligate lifestyle while state agencies are slashing their budgets. Leaving it to Perry’s people to challenge the content, TCRP Chair Rosemary Edwards argued that the group had violated Section 22.1 of the Texas Ethics Commission rules, which requires a PAC to wait for 60 days after it is established and have a minimum of 10 contributors before spending more than $500. With only a $250,000 contribution in the bank and 23 days left on the clock, the TCRP said, the PAC should be fined and its treasurer prosecuted. Back to Basics fired back that the Travis County GOP wasn’t reading the law right, as subsection D of Section 22.1 gives an exemption to the restrictions if the PAC receives a contribution from a multicandidate PAC registered with the Federal Elections Commission: So, $200 from the Communications Workers of America – Committee on Political Education PAC on June 3 means the ad was completely legal.

This article appears in July 2 • 2010.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.