CHRONOLOGY

1991: Kay Bailey Hutchison assumes office of state treasurer, making her the highest Republican officeholder in Texas.

April 1992: The Houston Post reveals that David Criss, a $52,000-a-year treasury employee who doubled as Mrs. Hutchison's political coordinator, had engaged in political activities on state time and equipment.

June: Mr. Criss repays $550 to the state and resigns.

November: Travis County district attorney Ronnie Earle (D) announces he will not prosecute Hutchison or Gary Mauro, a Democrat officeholder who had used state telephones to campaign for President Clinton.

December: Lloyd Bentsen (D) of Texas gives up his Senate seat to become Mr. Clinton's treasury secretary. Mr. Earle announces that he is a candidate for the vacated seat and asks Gov. Ann Richards (D) to appoint him until a special election is held.

January 1993: Governor Richards appoints Bob Krueger (D) instead, and Earle drops out of the race. Hutchison announces she will run for the US Senate seat.

May: The Travis County grand jury secretly subpoenas Criss in an investigation of Hutchison's office.

June: A treasury department employee reports to Earle that Hutchison asked him to destroy records.

June 5: Hutchison defeats Senator Krueger with 67 percent of the vote.

June 10: Earle's investigators raid Hutchison's treasury office.

September: The grand jury indicts Senator Hutchison on one misdemeanor and four felony ethics charges.

October: The charges are dismissed because a member of the grand jury was ineligible to serve.

December: A second grand jury reinstates the ethics charges.

Feb. 7, 1994: Hutchison trial to begin in Fort Worth, Texas.

March 8: Primary elections in Texas.