f

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

As discussed above, the Ideological and Single Issue category ballooned to account for 37 percent of all 2006 PAC spending. Although Labor and Business PACs also increased their expenditures significantly, these sectors did not approach the 108 percent increase of Ideological PACs.

 

 Interest Category
No. of Active
2006 PACs
2006 PAC
Spending
Share of ‘06
Spending
’04-‘06
Change
 Agriculture
30
$2,084,858
2%
69%
 Communications
17
$2,411,297
2%
19%
 Computers & Electronics
6
$546,948
<1%
17%
 Construction
78
$5,632,354
6%
22%
 Energy/Nat’l Resources
57
$7,422,147
8%
34%
 Finance
41
$4,902,570
5%
55%
 Health
54
$6,700,991
7%
19%
 Ideological/Single Issue
522
$37,003,201
37%
108%
 Insurance
26
$2,101,473
2%
23%
 Labor
100
$5,116,613
5%
13%
 Lawyers & Lobbyists
48
$12,207,989
12%
6%
 Miscellaneous Business
61
$4,162,216
4%
71%
 Real Estate
40
$6,180,524
6%
29%
 Transportation
27
$2,400,946
2%
-10%
 Other & Unknown
25
$293,511
<1%
 TOTALS:
        1,132
$99,167,646
100%
42%

 

Top Ideological and Single-Issue PACs

 PAC
2006
Spending
2006
Rank
2004
Spending
2004
Rank
’04-‘06
Change
 Texans For Lawsuit Reform
$4,224,428
1
$3,105,386
1
36%
 TX Republican Leg. Campaign Committee
$2,726,907
3
NA
 Republican Party of TX
$2,604,523
4
$1,927,676
3
35%
 TX Democratic Trust
$2,256,378
6
NA
 TX Democratic Party
$1,553,206
9
$1,922,185
4
-19%
 Associated Republicans of TX
$1,472,061
10
$1,688,087
7
-13%
 Harris Co. Republican Party
$1,397,049
11
NA
 Annie's List
$1,098,083
13
$454,177
30
142%
 Stars Over TX
$1,085,121
14
$956,675
12
13%
 House Democratic Campaign Committee
$1,051,894
15
$366,512
36
187%
 Future of TX Alliance
$655,655
26
NA
 Dallas Co. Democratic PAC
$641,775
27
NA
 Dallas Co. Republican Party
$616,554
28
NA
 TX Federation of Republican Women
$523,562
36
$347,460
40
51%
 TX Parent PAC
$492,799
38
NA
 Friends of Phil Gramm
$473,039
39
$514,274
23
-8%
 TX Values in Action Coalition
$467,473
41
NA
 TX Opportunity PAC
$395,419
48
NA
 Republican Party of Fort Bend Co.
$393,306
49
NA
 Travis Co. Democratic Party
$375,270
53
$156,987
98
139%
 TX Progress Council
$340,138
62
NA
 TX 2020 PAC
$337,892
64
$80,553
172
319%
 Friends of The University
$326,921
67
$330,247
42
-1%
 Texans for School Choice
$211,757
98
NA
 Houston PAC
$207,212
99
NA
 Campaign For Republican Leadership
$201,585
104
$26,297
357
667%

 

After Ideological PACs, the Miscellaneous Business sector grew the fastest, increasing its spending 71 percent from 2004 to 2006 (nonetheless this sector accounted for just 4 percent of all 2006 PAC spending). Republic Beverage’s BG Distribution Partners was one of Texas’ fastest-growth PACs, more than quintupling its spending from 2004 to in excess of $1 million. Meanwhile the Licensed Beverage Distributors PAC more than doubled its spending, clearing $300,000. In 2006 the wholesale liquor industry made a large play (HB 2266) to repeal rules that force bars and restaurants to buy hooch from package liquor stores. Package stores retaliated by urging the legislature to allow liquor manufacturers to sell directly to package stores—thereby bypassing the wholesalers (HB 2525). Hung up—or over—by such a wicked mix of drinks, lawmakers never uncorked either bill from the House Licensing Committee.

The top-spending sectors after Ideological and Single-Issue PACs were four business PAC categories: Lawyers & Lobbyists (accounting for 12 percent of 2006 PAC spending), Energy & Natural Resources (8 percent), Health (7 percent) and Real Estate (6 percent).

Lawyers & Lobbyists

Lawyers & Lobbyists, the biggest Business PAC sector, accounted for 12 percent of all 2006 PAC spending ($12 million), despite that fact that this sector expanded by a comparatively modest 6 percent from 2004 to 2006. The trial-lawyer financed Texans for Insurance Reform PAC led this sector, spending $2 million. Most of the top recipients of this PAC’s funds were Democratic House candidates. Corpus Christi trial lawyer Mikal Watts, who plans to challenge U.S. Senator John Cornyn next year, runs the Good Government PAC, which doubled its spending to $931,233. Meanwhile the Texas Trial Lawyer Association cut its PAC spending in half to $833,547.

Top Lawyers & Lobbyists PACs

 PAC
2006
Spending
2006
Rank
2004
Spending
2004
Rank
’04-‘06
Change
 Texans for Insurance Reform
$2,015,611
7
$1,911,888
6
5%
 HillCo PAC
$1,010,227
18
$705,343
15
43%
 Good Government PAC
$931,233
19
$465,915
26
100%
 Vinson & Elkins
$918,700
21
$970,289
11
-5%
 Texas Trial Lawyers Assn.
$883,547
22
$1,665,284
8
-47%
 Texas Assn. of Mortgage Attorneys
$794,263
23
$647,500
17
23%
 Fulbright & Jaworski
$718,666
24
$805,250
13
-11%
 Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
$587,827
29
$461,951
28
27%
 Andrews & Kurth
$528,250
35
$516,813
22
2%
 Baker Botts
$471,772
40
$435,167
31
8%
 Winstead, Sechrest & Minick
$458,133
43
$310,950
47
47%
 Bracewell & Giuliani
$425,796
44
$483,421
25
-12%
 Hughes & Luce
$396,643
47
$312,098
45
27%
 Haynes & Boone
$330,045
65
$238,950
63
38%
 Jackson Walker
$280,781
73
$250,622
60
12%
 Gardere Wynne Sewell
$248,375
84
$261,524
56
-5%
 Thompson & Knight
$228,500
90
$129,250
117
77%
 Brown McCarroll
$140,850
151
$168,100
89
-16%
 Texas Assn. of Defense Counsel
$112,250
179
$69,037
196
63%
 Jenkens & Gilchrist
$107,900
185
$99,820
141
8%

 

HillCo Partners lobby firm’s PAC cleared $1 million in expenditures, getting more of its money from Houston homebuilder Bob Perry than any other source. The Texas Association of Mortgage Attorneys, a major backer of House Speaker Tom Craddick, increased its PAC spending significantly to $794,263. Led by Vinson & Elkins and Fulbright & Jaworski, corporate law firms accounted for most of the remaining top Lawyers & Lobbyists PACs.

Energy & Natural Resources

Energy & Natural Resources PACs spent $7.4 million—up 34 percent from 2004. Awash in profits, the oil and gas industry pumped up its PAC spending, led by Valero Refining, which boosted its spending significantly to $2.3 million. After Valero came Texas Oil & Gas PAC, ConocoPhillips and the Bass family PACs: the Good Government Fund and PSEL PAC. Several oil and petrochemical PACs also made the accompanying list of the fastest-growing PACs. These include ExxonMobil (which quintupled its spending), Lyondell and ConocoPhillips.

Top Energy & Natural Resources PACs

 PAC
2006
Spending
2006
Rank
2004
Spending
2004
Rank
’04-‘06
Change
 Valero Refining & Marketing PAC
$2,347,879
5
$1,607,132
9
46%
 CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
$402,694
45
$488,886
24
-18%
 Reliant Energy, Inc.
$356,111
56
$361,574
38
-2%
 TX Oil & Gas PAC
$354,000
58
$311,500
46
14%
 TX Employee PAC of TXU Corp.
$296,385
71
$349,935
39
-15%
 American Electric Power
$286,619
72
$111,300
129
158%
 Lyondell Petrochemical Co.
$275,918
74
$59,624
215
363%
 ConocoPhillips SPIRIT PAC
$220,580
93
$61,780
206
257%
 Electric Delivery PAC of TXU Corp.
$217,103
94
$209,358
70
4%
 Power & Energy PAC of TXU Corp.
$182,619
114
$230,418
65
-21%
 Employees of Dow Chemical Co.
$173,689
118
$78,411
179
122%
 Good Government Fund
$170,250
120
$147,920
105
15%
 PSEL PAC
$167,500
122
$110,000
133
52%
 Occidental Petroleum Corp.
$163,683
127
$127,759
120
28%
 Rural Friends of TX Electric Co-ops
$159,050
131
$108,400
135
47%
 El Paso Corp.
$156,682
135
$35,416
295
342%
 Mirant Corp.
$135,402
158
$3,719
624
3,541%
 Atmos Energy Corp.
$121,356
171
$30,478
325
298%
 Halliburton Energy Services
$107,240
188
$129,075
118
-17%
 Exxon Mobil Corp.
$106,000
192
$17,000
414
524%

 

Electricity PACs formed this sector’s other bastion of power. Yet the top electricity PACs generally eased their spending from 2004 to 2006. CenterPoint, Reliant and three TXU PACs ($696,107 combined) all reduced spending in 2006.4 Atlanta-based electric wholesaler Mirant Corp., on the other hand, topped the accompanying list of the fastest-growing PACs, increasing its PAC spending from less than $4,000 in 2004 to $135,402. Other power PACs that doubled or tripled their PAC spending were: El Paso Corp., Atmos Energy and American Electric Power.

Health PACs

Led by the Texas Medical Association (TMA), Health PACs ranked No. 3 among Business PACs. Yet this sector’s overall spending increase of 19 percent fell short of that of the Business category as a whole. Spending by TMA, the Texas Optometric PAC, the Texas Dental Association and the Texas Hospital Association declined since the 2004 cycle, when this industry spent heavily to cap its legal liability in medical malpractice cases. The newly formed Texas Border PAC led 2006 growth in this sector. Harvesting $6,000 apiece from dozens of physicians along the Texas-Mexico border, this PAC made its largest contributions to Governor Perry and Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst (approximately $50,000 apiece). Two leading medical-specialty PACs—the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists and the Texas Opthalmological Association—also increased spending by approximately 20 percent apiece.

Top Health PACs

 PAC
2006
 Cycle

Spending
2006
PAC
Rank
2004
 Cycle

Spending
2004
PAC
Rank
‘04-’06
Spending Change
 TX Medical Assn.
$1,896,648
8
$1,919,026
5
-1%
 Border Health PAC
$667,787
25
NA
 TX Optometric PAC
$576,721
32
$598,844
18
-4%
 TX Dental Assn.
$367,009
54
$593,590
19
-38%
 TX Society of Anesthesiologists
$216,283
96
$181,095
80
19%
 TX Opthalmological Assn.
$212,069
97
$175,763
85
21%
 TX Hospital Assn.
$206,733
100
$239,932
62
-14%

 

Real Estate PACs

Real estate PACs increased spending 29 percent to $6.2 million. The Texas Association of Realtors and its affiliated Issues Mobilization PAC accounted for two-thirds of this spending, with the Issues PAC increasing its expenditures by more than 600 percent since 2004. The Issues Mobilization PAC made its largest expenditures on media buys and on payments to HillCo Partners lobby firm. It paid $50,000 to Texans for Taxpayer Relief, a business group running ads supporting the school-finance plan proposed by Governor Perry’s Texas Tax Reform Commission (a proposal that did not seek to tax real estate transactions). The PAC also gave $20,000 to It’s About Time Corpus Christi, a business group that sought to ban vehicles from driving on part of the beach on North Padre Island.

Top Real Estate PACs

 PAC
2006
Cycle
Spending
2006
PAC

Rank
2004
Cycle
Spending
2004
PAC
Rank
’04-‘06
Spending
Change
 TX Assn. of Realtors
$3,334,075
2
$2,967,081
2
12%
 TX Assn. of Realtors Issues Mobilization
$929,600
20
115
609%
 TX Apartment Assn. PAC
$382,732
52
$324,000
43
18%
 Houston Apartment Assn
$230,660
88
$268,608
54
-14%
 Houston Realty Breakfast Club
$185,073
111
127
54%
 Apartment Assn. of Greater Dallas
$170,347
119
126
42%
 Apartment Assn. of Tarrant Co.
$103,506
197
$154,452
99
-33%

 

 


4 When the money spent by the three TXU PACs listed here is combined with the $94,577 spent by the smaller TXU Corporate PAC, TXU's four affiliated PACs spent a grand total of $790,684 in the 2006 cycle. For more on TXU PACs, see “TXU’s Patronage Grid Plugs All But Seven Lawmakers,” TPJ’s Lobby Watch, March 1, 2007.