Texas PACS: A Roundup of the Special Interests
Driving Texas' Political Action Committees
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Agriculture
Agriculture
is the smallest interest category in Texas, with 26 PACs spending $1.3
million over the three-year period (2 percent of all spending).
Livestock and poultry interests dominated the four subcategories, accounting for 48 percent of all agricultural spending. Texas cowboys are still king in this category, which is dominated by three cattle related PACs: the Texas & Southwest Cattle Raisers Association ($228,859), the Beef PAC ($179,543) and the Texas Thoroughbred Breeder’s Association ($102,950). Dairy interests (Associated Milk Producers and the Texas Association of Dairymen) spent a total of $34,522.
| Agricultural Harvest | Expenditures '95-'97 | % of Total | PAC # |
| Livestock & Poultry | $637,110 | 48% | 10 |
| Miscellaneous Agriculture | $378,622 | 29% | 5 |
| Forestry & Forest Products | $185,124 | 14% | 4 |
| Crops & Basic Processing | $126,208 | 10% | 7 |
| Total | $1,327,064 | 100% | 26 |
The leading poultry PAC, Citizens for the Preservation of a Rural Lifestyle (CPRL), represents one of the strangest birds found in this report. CPRL spent $68,504 to fend off efforts to restrict the breeding of fighting cocks. While lobby consulting fees to former Texas Speaker Billy Clayton consumed most of these expenditures, CPRL also bought advertisements in such publications as Game Cock, Feathered Warrior and Grit & Steel Magazine.
The sole representative of the mainstream poultry sector, the Texas Poultry PAC, spent comparative chicken feed: $8,695. Chicken king Lonnie “Bo” Pilgrim once wrote his own chapter in special-interest Texas politics by handing out $10,000 checks to lawmakers on the floor of the Texas Legislature. Since this report just covers spending by registered PACs, however, any contributions made by chicken kings as individuals are not covered here.
| Total | Top Agricultural PACs | Subcategory |
| $274,050 | TX Farm Bureau | Misc. Agriculture |
| $228,859 | TX & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Assoc. | Livestock & Poultry |
| $179,543 | Beef PAC | Livestock & Poultry |
| $117,631 | Temple-Inland Forest Products Corp. | Forestry |
| $102,950 | TX Thoroughbred Breeders' Assoc. | Livestock & Poultry |
| $68,504 | Citizens for Preservation of a Rural Lifestyle | Livestock & Poultry |
| $57,615 | Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers | Crops |
| $57,208 | TX Sugar Beet Growers Assoc. | Crops |
| $49,512 | Lumbermen's Assoc. Of TX | Forestry |
| $41,750 | Philip Morris | Misc. Agriculture |
| $37,200 | Ag Air PAC | Misc. Agriculture |
| $26,289 | Associated Milk Producers | Livestock & Poultry |
| $16,622 | TX Agricultural Cooperative Council | Misc. Agriculture |
| $9,929 | TX Forestry Assoc. | Forestry |
| $9,000 | TX Agricultural Industries Assoc. | Misc. Agriculture |
| $8,695 | TX Poultry PAC | Livestock & Poultry |
| $8,350 | Range Management PAC | Livestock & Poultry |
| $8,233 | TX Assoc. Of Dairymen | Livestock & Poultry |
| $8,045 | TX Assoc. Of Nurserymen | Forestry |
| $4,750 | King Ranch, Inc. | Livestock & Poultry |
Miscellaneous
A grab-bag category of five miscellaneous agricultural interests accounted
for 29 percent of agricultural spending. This group was dominated by the
powerful Texas Farm Bureau, which spent $274,050 on behalf of both crop
and livestock interests. Though it has no significant agricultural production
in Texas, Philip Morris came next, spending $41,750 to combat legal and
regulatory hurdles to tobacco sales around the state.4 The Ag
Air PAC was the third largest spender in this category, spending $37,200
on behalf of crop dusters.
Forestry
Four forestry PACs accounted for 14 percent of agricultural spending. Temple-Inland
Corp. dominated this sector, spending $117,631. Other forestry expenditures
came from the Lumberman’s Association ($49,512), the Texas Forestry Association
($9,929) and the Texas Association of Nurserymen ($8,045).
Crops
Last and least in terms of spending, seven crop PACs accounted for
just 10 percent of agricultural spending. Two sugar daddies—the Rio Grande
Valley Sugar Growers and the Texas Sugar Beet Growers—spent more than $57,000
each. Three cotton PACs (GINPAC, the Texas Cotton Association and the Texas
Independent Ginners) spent a total of $5,585. The Texas Rice Producers
PAC spent $4,000.
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