Texas PACS: A Roundup of the Special Interests
Driving Texas' Political Action Committees
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Construction
Sixty-seven
PACs in the politi- cally dependent construction industry spent $3 million
(6 percent of PAC spending).
Fifteen home-builder PACs led this industry, accounting for 22 percent of all construction expenditures. Leading the housing industry, HOME PAC and 11 locally based affiliates spent $378,640. The PAC of Kaufman Builders spent more than any other single home-building company ($58,300).
| Construction PACs | Expenditures '95-'97 | % of Total | PAC # |
| Home Builders | $670,092 | 22% | 15 |
| Other Contractors | $662,730 | 22% | 21 |
| Construction Services | $651,095 | 21% | 16 |
| Heavy Construction | $631,195 | 20% | 9 |
| Building Materials | $463,422 | 15% | 6 |
| Total | $3,078,534 | 100% | 67 |
The Texas Manufactured Housing Association (TMHA) spent $213,600. In the 1995 legislative session, TMHA had regulatory oversight for prefabricated homes transferred from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), which was considered more lenient. Subsequently, TDHCA sacked its manufactured housing director, a move that some insiders say came at TMHA’s behest. TMHA returned in the 1997 session, seeking to scale back prefab home inspections.
Other Contractors
Twenty-one other contractor PACs, including general contractors, commercial
builders and specialty trade contractors, spent 22 percent of all construction
PAC money. A dozen general contractor PACs led this group, spending $507,626.
The Associated Contractors of Texas PAC and seven local affiliates spent
$333,334. The Houston Contractors Association spent another $154,054. Commercial
builders represented by the Associated Builders and Contractors and four
local affiliates spent $101,954.
Construction Services
Sixteen construction services PACs came in just behind the contractors
with $651,095. Two Houston-based commercial engineering firms accounted
for 43 percent of this spending: Turner Collie & Braden ($172,925)
and S&B Engineers and Constructors ($110,250). These giants overshadowed
the Texas Architects Committee ($84,408) and WSBC Civil Engineers ($41,364).
| Total | PAC/Sponsor | Subcategory |
| $378,640 | HOME PACs (12 PACs) | Home Builders |
| $333,334 | Assoc. General Contractors (8 PACs) | Other Contractors |
| $226,103 | Brownbuilders | Heavy Construction |
| $221,600 | Trinity Industries (2 PACs) | Building Materials |
| $213,600 | Texas Manufactured Housing Assoc. | Home Builders |
| $194,522 | Texas Aggregates & Concrete Assoc. | Building Materials |
| $172,925 | Turner Collie & Braden | Construction Services |
| $154,054 | Houston Contractors Assoc. | Other Contractors |
| $132,141 | Morrison Knudsen Corp. | Heavy Construction |
| $110,250 | S & B Engineers & Constructors | Construction Services |
| $101,954 | Assoc. Builders & Contractors (5 PACs) | Other Contractors |
| $84,408 | Texas Architects Committee | Construction Services |
| $77,850 | H. B. Zachry Co. | Heavy Construction |
| $61,263 | Lockwood, Andrews & Newman, Inc. | Heavy Construction |
| $61,000 | Coalition For Better Transportation | Heavy Construction |
| $58,300 | Kaufman Builders San Antonio (KBSA) | Home Builders |
| $46,050 | Owens Corning | Building Materials |
| $41,364 | WSBC Civil Engineers, Inc. | Construction Services |
| $41,119 | Professionals PAC | Construction Services |
| $35,421 | PAC for Engineers | Construction Services |
Heavy Construction
Nine heavy construction PACs accounted for 20 percent of all construction
spending. Brown & Root’s Brownbuilders PAC ($226,103) accounted for
36 percent of all heavy construction expenditures, followed by Morrison
Knudsen ($132,141). Three other heavy construction PACs cleared $60,000:
H.B. Zachry Co., Lockwood, Andrews & Newman and the Coalition for Better
Transportation.
Construction Materials
Six construction materials companies spent $463,422. Almost half of
this money came from two PACs affiliated with Trinity Industries, a heavy
construction materials company.
Another 42 percent ($194,522) came from the Texas Aggregates and Concrete Association. The PAC of longtime asbestos maker Owens Corning spent $46,050. Owens also paid up to $620,000 to hire 14 lobbyists to work the 1997 session of the Texas Legislature. With these political expenditures, Owens successfully sought legislation to stop its out-of-state asbestosis victims from filing lawsuits in Texas courts.
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of special interest Legislation To Die For Construction is consistently Texas’ deadliest industry. In 1996, construction workers accounted for 94 of the 514 workers killed on the job in Texas. A disproportionate number of dead construction workers:
Nonetheless, the construction industry is seeking legislation that would almost certainly boost the body count among these groups. Industry-backed bills that failed in the 1997 session would shield construction companies from liability for contract workers who are mutilated or killed on their construction sites. This legislation, which is expected to be reintroduced, would expand the use of contracted laborers—many of whom run high accident risks due to a lack of English, job training or experience. |
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