Ethics Agency Fines Texas Billionaire's PAC

State ethics officials have issued a $6,450 fine to a political action committee of Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons over nearly $65,000 in illegal campaign contributions.

The ruling by the Texas Ethics Commission comes nearly a year after a watchdog group filed a complaint against WCS-Texas Solutions. The PAC was created by Waste Control Specialists, which is owned by Simmons and runs a nuclear waste site in West Texas.

The PAC violated a state law that requires at least 10 donors before making political contributions. Simmons, one of the nation's top Republican donors, solely funded the PAC when it gave money to 18 Republican and Democratic state lawmakers.

The ethics commission closed the complaint Dec. 20. Bill Lindquist, the PAC treasurer, has previously described the violation as a mistake.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.