News Release
Texans for Public Justice  ** 609 W. 18th Street, Suite E, ** Austin, TX 78701
For Release: 
January 29, 2001
Contact: Craig McDonald, Andrew Wheat 
512-472-9770
**CORRECTED**

Lobby Expenditures Jump 13 Percent From 1998 to 2000

Texas Lobbyists Billed Up To $185 Million in 2000

 
Austin, TX: The maximum reported value of Texas lobby contracts rose 13 percent, from $164 million in 1998 to $185 million during 2000. The number of lobby contracts increased from 5,732 to 6,094, a rise of 6 percent, from year-end 2000 compared to the comparable pre-legislative-session year of 1998.

“Like rust, special interests never sleep,” said Craig McDonald, director of Texans for Public Justice. “Austin’s spiraling lobby expenditures come at the expense of representative government. When access to government is for sale, the high rollers block the door to everyone else.”

“If this growth rate continues during the current legislative session, special interests dominated by business interests will take out more than 7,000 lobby contracts worth up to $220 million this year,” McDonald said. During the 1999 session, labor, consumer and environmental lobbyists accounted for just two-tenths of one percent of all lobby contracts.

Texas lobbyists report their incomes in ranges rather than exact amounts. The minimum amount reported at year-end 2000 was $80 million, which marked a 17 percent increase over the $68 million minimum reported at the end of 1998. Texans for Public Justice derived these numbers from lobby disclosure reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission as of December 31, 2000.

“Until the legislature reins in the lobby and reforms campaign financing, Texans who can’t afford their own lobbyist will be stuck with whatever scraps are left over after the big boys feast,” said McDonald.
 
 

2000’s Top Grossing Lobbyists
  Max. Lobby Min. Lobby No. of  Representative
Lobbyist Income (2000) Income (2000) Clients Top Clients
Russell ‘Rusty’ T. Kelley
$2,040,000
$1,085,000
36
 Outdoor Advertising Assoc.
Pamela M. Giblin
$1,905,002
$1,060,000
54
 Pilgrim's Pride Corp.
Neal ‘Buddy’ T. Jones, Jr.
$1,720,000
$770,000
53
 Holly Corp. (Navajo Refining)
Kimberly A. Yelkin
$1,710,000
$160,000
145
 Nationwide Mutual Insurance
Jack Roberts
$1,660,000
$805,000
32
 Dell Computer

 
 
2000’s Top-Spending Lobby Clients
 
Max. Lobby
Min. Lobby
No. of
  
Lobby Heavyweight Spending (2000) Spending (2000) Contracts  Interest
Southwestern Bell Telephone
 $6,890,000 
 $3,510,000 
118
 Telecom.
Reliant Energy Inc.
 $1,975,000 
 $ 945,000 
41
 Energy
Electronic Data Systems*
 $1,720,000 
$1,200,000
21
 Computers
TX Utilities (TXU)
 $1,560,000 
 $ 680,000 
48
 Energy
Exxon Mobil Corp.
 $1,500,000 
 $ 850,000 
26
 Energy
City Of Austin
 $1,350,000 
 $ 775,000 
14
 Municipal
GTE
 $1,260,000 
 $ 330,000 
78
 Telecom.
AT&T
 $1,170,000 
 $ 560,000 
28
 Telecom.
TX Municipal League
 $1,150,000 
 $ 650,000 
13
 Municipal
TX Assoc. of Realtors
 $1,050,001 
 $ 675,000 
12
 Real Estate
Enron Corp.
 $1,045,000 
 $ 535,000 
17
 Energy
Assoc. of Electric Cos. of TX
 $1,035,000 
 $ 485,000 
18
 Energy
TX Civil Justice League
 $1,030,000 
 $ 515,000 
23
 Tort Reform
TX Hospital Assoc.
 $1,025,000 
 $ 510,000 
16
 Medical
GTECH Corp.
 $1,000,000 
 $ 650,000 
7
 Lottery
*Includes subsidiary National Heritage Insurance Co., which has the contract to administer Texas’ Medicaid program.


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Texans for Public Justice is non-profit, non-partisan research and advocacy group that tracks money in Texas politics.

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