News Release

Austin, TX: PACs and businesses that support Proposition 12 contributed a total of  $5,315,767 to Governor Rick Perry, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst and current members of the legislature during the 2002 election cycle, a new Texans for Public Justice analysis found. With support from Perry and Dewhurst, the Texas Legislature placed Prop. 12 (HJR 3) on the September 13 ballot. This constitutional amendment would allow the legislature to limit damages on all civil lawsuits without judicial review.

In its analysis, TPJ just counted direct contributions from PACs, businesses and trade groups that have supported HJR 3 and the passage of Prop. 12. These donors include such medical industry advocates as insurance companies, HMOs, hospitals, nursing homes, doctor associations and pharmaceutical companies. They also include direct contributions from the pro-Prop 12 PACs of Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the Texas Civil Justice League, the Texas Apartment Association and the Texas Association of Business (this analysis does not include money from individuals and businesses that belong to these organizations nor does it include the $1.9 million spent by TAB for its controversial “issue ads” supporting candidates for the legislature).

Key findings of this analysis of the 2002 election cycle include:

• Current members of the Texas Legislature received a total of $4,491,595 from Pro-12 interest groups, with Governor Perry receiving another $576,472 and Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst getting $247,700.

 
• Taken together, lawmakers who voted for Prop. 12 (HJR 3) received four times as much money ($3,612,676) as those who voted against the measure ($863,869).

 
• The average lawmaker voting for Prop. 12 received twice as much money from the pro-Prop. 12 interests as those voting against the measure. The 22 senators who voted for Prop. 12 received an average of $83,821 from pro-Prop. 12 donors, while the nine senators who voted against it received an average of $45,414 from the same donors. The 101 House members who were elected in November 2002 and voted for Proposition 12 received an average of $17,511 from pro-Prop. 12 sources, while their 45 House colleagues who opposed the measure received an average of $10,114.

 
• PACs funded by trial lawyers contributed a total of $464,944 to these politicians during the same period, or 9 percent of the $5.3 million moved by the pro-Prop.12 interests.

“Proposition 12 reveals the raw power of special-interest campaign money,” said Texans for Public Justice Director Craig McDonald. “Legislation is for sale in Texas and these special interests know where to go to buy it.”

Detailed report findings, including the total received by each legislator, follow.

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Contributions from Pro-Proposition 12 PACs/
Businesses During 2002 Election Cycle

Pro-12 Interests	Gov. Perry	Lt.Gov. Dewhurst	Legislators	Total
Physician Associations & Clinics	$98,250	$72,500	$1,383,267	$1,554,017
Texans for Lawsuit Reform/TCJL	$30,000	$27,500	$1,247,625	$1,305,125
Insurance Companies & HMOs	$268,222	$65,000	$839,477	$1,172,699
Hospitals & Nursing Homes	$75,500	$42,000	$335,150	$452,650
Pharmaceutical Companies	$58,000	$16,700	$343,226	$417,926
Texas Apartment Association	$40,500	$19,000	$269,350	$328,850
BACPAC-Texas Assn. of Business*	$6,000	$5,000	$73,500	$84,500
Total	$576,472	$247,700	$4,491,595	$5,315,767

*This does not include the $1.9 million the Texas Association of
Business spent on controversial "issue ads" in key legislative races.

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	Average Prop12 supporter money for YES voting legislator	Average Prop12 supporter money for NO voting legislator	Ratio
House	$ 17,511	$ 10,114	1.7:1
Senate	$ 83,821	$ 45,414	1.8:1

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Yes Votes in the House Representative District Money Received from Prop 12 Supporters Allen, Robert R. 106  $8,900  Baxter, Todd A. 48  $75,304  Berman, Leo 6  $3,600  Bohac, Dwayne A. 138  $33,772  Bonnen, Dennis H. 25  $6,050 Branch, Daniel H. 108  $9,300  Brown, Betty J. 4  $22,142  Brown, Frederick H. 14  $7,800  Callegari, William A. 132  $6,400  Campbell, Scott E. 72  $8,641  Capelo, Jaime L. 34  $28,300  Casteel, Carter 73  $12,850  Chavez, Norma P. 76  $5,450  Chisum, Warren D. 88  $8,050  Christian, Walter W. 9  $25,950  Cook, Byron Curtis 8  $37,899  Cook, Robert L. 17  $11,900  Corte, Frank J. 122  $11,700  Crabb, Joe 127  $12,450  Craddick, Tom 82  $88,400  Crownover, Myra E. 64  $5,550  Davis, John E. 129  $9,700  Dawson, Glenda L. 29  $7,600  Delisi, Dianne W. 55  $22,600  Denny, Mary 63  $10,200  Driver, Joe 113  $11,870  Eissler, Rob 15 $12,650  Elkins, Gary 135  $8,650  Ellis, Daniel P. 18  $10,250  Farabee, David L. 69  $15,350  Flores, Ismael "Kino" 36  $500  Flynn, Dan 2  $13,750  Garza, Timoteo 80  $7,550  Gattis, Dan 20  $13,100  Geren, Charles L. 99  $8,250  Giddings, Helen 109  $12,250  Goodman, Toby 93  $13,650  Goolsby, Tony 102  $12,850  Griggs, Bob E. 91  $10,425  Grusendorf, Kent 94  $10,550  Gutierrez, Roberto 41  $500  Haggerty, Patrick B. 78  $2,600  Hamilton, Michael W. 19  $62,475  Hamric, Peggy 126  $6,800  Hardcastle, Richard L. 68  $83,824  Harper-Brown, Linda L. 105  $9,100  Hartnett, Will 114  $4,850  Heflin, Talmadge L. 149  $24,300  Hegar, Glenn A. 28  $11,050 Hilderbran, Harvey R. 53  $9,100  Hill, Fred 112  $8,050  Homer, Mark S. 3  $2,050  Hope, Ruben 16  $14,000  Hopson, Charles L. 11  $12,550  Howard, Charles F. 26  $2,250  Hughes, D. Bryan 5  $8,300  Hunter, Robert D. 71  $4,850  Hupp, Suzanna G. 54  $4,550  Isett, Carl H. 84  $13,100  Jones, Delwin 83  $7,800  Jones, Elizabeth A. 121  $10,100  Keel, Terrence M. 47  $8,400  Keffer, James L. 60  $15,156  Keffer, William R. 107  $9,021  King, Phillip S. 61  $14,008  Kolkhorst, Lois W. 13  $5,950  Krusee, Michael 52  $13,400  Kuempel, Edmund P. 44  $19,903 Laubenberg, Jodie A. 89  $9,800  Madden, Jerry A. 67  $19,800  Marchant, Kenny E. 115  $22,050  McCall, James B. 66  $44,967  Mercer, Kenneth B. 117  $58,150  Merritt, Thomas C. 7  $9,550  Miller, Sidney C. 59  $120,144  Morrison, Geanie W. 30  $7,450  Mowery, Anna 97  $6,050  Nixon, Joe 133  $8,900  Paxton, W. Kenneth 70  $9,750  Phillips, Larry* 62  -  Pitts, James R. 10  $7,500  Reyna, Elvira 101  $750  Riddle, Deborah A. 150  $9,600  Ritter, Allan B. 21  $7,850  Rose, Patrick 45  $5,750  Seaman, Eugene J. 32  $72,200  Smith, Richard Wayne 128  $12,300  Smith, Todd A. 92  $9,700  Smithee, John T. 86  $10,800  Solomons, Burt 65  $18,200  Stick, Jack 50  $37,721  Swinford, David A. 87  $12,600  Talton, Robert E. 144  $9,800  Taylor, Larry 24  $38,096  Truitt, Vicki 98  $8,900  Van Arsdale, J. Corbin 130  $6,150  Villarreal, Michael U. 123  $8,300  West, G. E. 81  $8,550  Wohlgemuth, Arlene 58  $43,812  Wong, Martha J. 134  $81,530  Woolley, Beverly 136  $5,650  Zedler, William W. 96  $6,050  Total raised by 101 Reps voting yes*: $1,768,610 Average raised*: $17,511 *Rep. Larry Phillips was not elected during the 2002 election, and so his money was not included in this study.

No Votes in the House Representative District Money Received from Prop 12 Supporters Alonzo, Roberto R. 104  $5,250  Bailey, Kevin E. 140  $11,040  Burnam, Lon 90  $8,050  Canales, Gabriella S. 35  $1,550  Castro, Joaquin 125  $4,300  Coleman, Garnet F. 147  $16,550  Davis, Yvonne 111  $3,300  Deshotel, Joseph D. 22  $2,100  Dukes, Dawnna  46  $5,850  Dunnam, James R. 57  $6,800  Dutton, Harold V. 142  $6,050  Eiland, Craig 23  $24,713  Farrar, Jessica 148  $3,600  Gallego, Pete P. 74  $15,100  Guillen, Ryan A. 31  $4,800  Hochberg, Lindsey S. 137  $11,600  Hodge, Gladys E. 100  $4,500  Jones, Jesse W. 110  $3,400  Laney, James E. 85  $66,500  Lewis, Glenn O. 95  $10,550  Luna, Vilma 33  $9,650  Mabry, John P. 56  $3,600  Martinez Fischer, Trey 116  $10,900  McClendon, Ruth J. 120  $10,850  McReynolds, James M. 12  $9,800  Menendez, Jose 124  $9,850  Moreno, Joe E. 143  $11,600  Moreno, Paul 77  $2,800  Naishtat, Elliott 49  $10,350  Noriega, Richard J. 145  $4,650  Oliveira, Rene O. 37  $8,550  Olivo, Dora F. 27  $8,550  Pena, Aaron 40  $2,550  Pickett, Joseph C. 79  $4,800  Puente, Robert R. 119  $7,000  Quintanilla, Inocente 75  $4,150  Raymond, Richard E. 42  $20,022  Rodriguez, Eduardo R. 51  $4,750  Solis, Jim 38  $10,775  Telford, Barry B. 1  $19,150  Thompson, Senfronia 141  $22,850  Turner, Sylvester 139  $9,600  Uresti, Carlos I. 118  $14,944  Wilson, Ron 131  $1,250  Wolens, Steven D. 103  $16,550   Total raised by 45 Reps voting no:  $455,144 Average raised: $10,114

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Yes Votes in the Senate Senator District Money Received from Prop 12 Supporters Armbrister, Kenneth 18  $51,550  Averitt, Kip 22  $129,987  Bivins, Teel 31  $27,500  Brimer, Kenneth 10  $90,730  Carona, John J. 16  $90,000  Deuell, Robert F. 2  $370,222  Duncan, Robert L. 28  $51,328  Estes, Craig 30  $99,453  Fraser, Troy 24  $52,000  Harris, Chris 9  $46,350  Jackson, James M. 11  $33,750  Janek, Kyle 17  $238,986  Lindsay, Jon S. 7 $25,000  Lucio, Eduardo A. 27  $41,250  Madla, Frank 19  $47,025  Nelson, Jane 12  $85,711  Ogden, Stephen E. 5  $35,500  Ratliff, William R. 1  $67,440  Shapiro, Florence 8  $45,250  Staples, Todd 3  $36,985  Williams, Thomas D. 4  $146,550  Zaffirini, Judith 21  $31,500   Total raised by 22 Senators voting yes:  $1,844,066 Average raised:  $83,821

No Votes in the Senate Senator District Money Received from Prop 12 Supporters Barrientos, Gonzalo 14  $27,650  Ellis, Rodney G. 13  $41,927  Gallegos, Mario V. 6  $20,500  Hinojosa, Juan 20  $85,000  Shapleigh, Eliot G. 29  $28,250  Van De Putte, Leticia 26  $57,898  Wentworth, E. Jeffrey 25  $86,500  West, Royce 23  $32,500  Whitmire, John 15  $28,500  Total raised by 9 Senators voting no:  $408,725 Average raised: $45,414


 
 


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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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