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Lawmakers, watchdog groups suggest changes to Ethics Commission Houston Chronicle Copyright 2012 Houston Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Published 08:05 p.m., Tuesday, April 10, 2012 AUSTIN - The Texas Ethics Commission spends too much time focusing on small mistakes at the expense of larger violations warranting audits and investigations, government watchdogs told a panel reviewing the agency Tuesday. Smith and other watchdog groups proposed several changes, including creation of a separate enforcement division within the Ethics Commission and, going beyond the agency itself, wish-list items such as a "reasonable" limit on campaign contributions. The current complaint-driven system, conducted in a contentious political climate, means that "even innocent mistakes may result in candidates or officeholders being portrayed as ethics violators, with a stigmatizing impact that is out of proportion to the seriousness of the mistake," the Sunset staff report said.