2025 PAAT Institute

Whether you’re preparing for client engagement, political activity, or rulemaking developments, the PAAT Institute will ensure you’re informed and ready for the year ahead. In addition to expert-led sessions, the program offers valuable opportunities to connect with colleagues, exchange insights, and expand your professional network among leading advocates, attorneys, and government affairs professionals in Texas. It’s a full day of learning, discussion, and connection designed to strengthen both your knowledge and your relationships across the Capitol community.

10AM — Welcome & TEC UPDATE

Stay current on the latest developments from the Texas Ethics Commission. This session will provide a comprehensive update on recent Commission actions — along with a first look at the Commission’s new website functionality and filing tools. Executive Director James Tinley will also share insights on the ongoing Lobby Law Rule Review process, including key areas under consideration and opportunities for stakeholder input. David Guilianelli, Director of Disclosure Filings, will offer a practical overview of disclosure filing issues, common reporting errors, and tips for navigating the new electronic filing system.

Panelists: Texas Ethics Commission Executive Director James Tinley,  Director of Disclosure Filings, David Guilianelli

10:30AM - INTERIM/ELECTION COMPLIANCE & AVOIDING COMPLAINTS

As Texas moves through the interim and into a high-stakes election year, compliance obligations for lobbyists, attorneys, and government affairs professionals grow increasingly complex. This session will cover the key reporting, registration, and campaign-season rules that apply during this critical period — including communication restrictions, expenditure disclosures, political activity limitations, and emerging enforcement trends from the Texas Ethics Commission.

Panelists: Ethics experts Andy Cates, Elizabeth Hadley, J.R. Johnson, Ed Shack

12:00PM — KEYNOTE : ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON

Each year, the PAAT Institute welcomes a leading voice in Texas government, law, or public policy to share insights on the issues shaping advocacy in our state. Stay tuned for the announcement of our 2025 keynote speaker.

1:15PM  — CAPITOL Perspectives: INSIDE AND OUT

Few understand the rhythms of the Texas Legislature better than those who have worked on both sides of the process. In this candid conversation, Margo Cardwell and Gardner Pate draw on their experience inside the Capitol with key legislative leaders—and later as advocates navigating that same environment—to offer insight into what really drives decision-making in Austin. From managing relationships and timing advocacy efforts to understanding how internal dynamics shape outcomes, this session will explore the practical realities behind policy, politics, and persuasion in Texas.

Moderator: Announced soon

Panelists: Margo Cardwell, former policy and legal advisor in the Office of Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan and Gardner Pate, former chief of staff, Office of Governor Greg Abbott

2:15PM — On the Record: The Texas Political Press Weighs In

Texas’s leading political observers share their perspectives on the state’s most critical storylines: what’s really happening during the interim, the key policy and political issues emerging ahead of the 90th Legislature, and how the 2026 election season could impact the dynamics of the Texas House, Senate, and statewide leadership. From early campaign dynamics to legislative positioning and shifting coalitions, this conversation will offer a candid, journalist’s-eye view of what to watch in Texas politics over the year ahead.

Moderator: Jim Henson, Texas Politics Project

Panelists: Gromer Jeffers (Dallas Morning News), Harvey Kronberg (Quorum Report), Mark Jones, Rice University James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy’s Political Science Fellow

FINAL COMMENTS

PAAT President Tom Forbes will provide closing remarks. The Otis rooftop bar will be open for some post-event Holiday Cheer!