[ Report Home | Previous Page | Next Page ] Texas PACs 2000 Election Cycle Lawyers & Lobbyists: $8,085,448

Shooting up 24 percent over 1998 to clear $8 million, spending by Lawyer & Lobbyist PACs was driven by a surge in trial lawyer spending. Plaintiff bar PACs spent almost $3.3 million in 2000, up 177 percent from 1998. The $2 million new Texas 2000 PAC accounted for three-fifths of all trial lawyer PAC money, which overwhelmingly benefited the Texas Democratic Party. Many plaintiff lawyers contributed to Texas 2000, with the Big Five tobacco lawyers supplying one-fourth of these funds.⁴  The Big Five exclusively underwrote the $383,748 Constitutional Defense Fund. Finally, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC spent another $788,596.

Stealth PAC Aggregate Texas Ethics Commission PAC data indicate that Government Interests, Inc. had no activity in the 2000 election cycle. In fact, this lobbyist PAC disclosed that it raised $7,500 in October 2000—although it illegally failed to disclose the source of these funds. The PAC also failed to disclose any 2000-cycle expenditures.  Yet, in separate filings, candidates have disclosed receiving at least $7,000 from this PAC.5  Violating state law, Government Interests never disclosed the source of these funds. Operating as Emil Interests, Inc. in 1998, this PAC functioned as an adjunct of TransTexas Gas Corp CEO Jack Stanley. Stanley provided most of the PAC’s money, which chiefly benefited Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander and Attorney General John Cornyn. PAC namesake Emil Pena was an energy lobbyist who reported an income of up to $300,000 in 1999 from six clients led by Enron. The Clinton administration appointed Pena as a Deputy Energy Assistant in March 2000. Later that year, Pena changed the PAC’s name. Its new treasurer is lawyer Richard Bianchi, who has served as general counsel of TransTexas.

As plaintiff PAC spending skyrocketed, spending by defense attorney PACs dropped 15 percent, from $5.2 million in 1998 to $4.4 million in 2000. Nonetheless, defense attorney PAC spending still exceeded trial lawyer PAC expenditures by more than $1 million. Vinson & Elkins led defense PACs, followed by Fulbright & Jaworski.