EAO 173

Texas law prohibits a public servant from accepting an honorarium for services that the public servant would not have been asked to perform but for his or her official position or duties. The location of a speech, the nature of the audience, or the speaker’s expertise may be factors to consider in determining whether an honorarium is a prohibited one, but if the public servant would not have been asked to speak but for his official status, a payment for speaking would be a prohibited honorarium.