Texas Watchdog's latest investigative report hones in on a particular loophole that allows Texas politicians to legally omit their spouses -- and their spouses' income -- from their annual ethics forms, even if that income is substantial.

My colleague Lee Ann O'Neal describes how Houston City Councilman Peter Brown and state Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, do not list on their forms the finances of their wives -- Hegar's wife is an attorney, and Brown's wife is an heir to the Schlumberger oilfield services fortune. With the story is an interactive spreadsheet showing other Texas legislators who are married but did not list their spouses on their personal financial disclosure forms.

Don't forget that if you want to see the ethics forms for any member of the Texas legislature, Texas Watchdog has made them available at your fingertips via an interactive map. Use the map to zoom in and scroll around to your town to find lawmakers in your area, or use the list below the map to go right to the 2009 ethics form for any legislator or elected statewide official.

Want to know more about what's on the map, where the map information comes from and how to use it? I'm answering those questions and more in a new video clip we're posting today (see below). I'll explain the sources of the data in the map "mashup" and how this year's map is an improvement over last year's map.

The strangest thing about creating this new video clip was, right in the middle of it, the door suddenly opened -- and in walked Kayne West. He went right up to my Webcam and said he hated to interrupt, but Beyonce had made the best Google Map of the Texas legislature this year.

Shame that my Windows Vista crashed right as he walked in, or else I could share the exclusive video with you here. Instead, you'll have to settle for listening to me talk.