Lobbying on liquor law lines Lonestar legislators' pockets
By Kirstin Ellison
Posted on Fri Jan 26, 2007 at 03:08:07 PM EST
Alliteration aside, there's a turf war brewing in Texas, and industry PAC contributions have placed lawmakers smack in the middle of it.
Liquor wholesalers dumped nearly $1.7 million on Texas lawmakers in the weeks leading up to the 2007 Legislature while pushing for changes that would allow them to sell booze directly to restaurants and bars.
The law now allows only package liquor stores - not wholesalers - to supply establishments where patrons drink on the premises. Wholesalers say that's not fair; package stores say giant wholesalers would undercut their prices to monopolize the market, potentially costing thousands of people their jobs.
That's the gist of the situation - now here's the interesting part. That $1.7 million in the last ten weeks is five times more than what was spent in the entire previous year. And the recipients were of that money should come as no shock - just about everyone in a position of influence.
"It shows that in Texas, we have a pay-to-play system," said Suzy Woodford of Common Cause Texas, which tracks ethics in government. "We have no limits on the amount of money that these individuals, their PACs and their officers can contribute. So it clearly demonstrates to the average Joe that if you don't have the big bucks ... the item you care about is not even going to be considered."
It's an interesting article that breaks down the issue and the law in question. A list of the top campaign contribution recipients from the wholesalers follows after the jump.
TOP CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION RECIPIENTS
Liquor wholesalers recently gave nearly $1.7 million to Texas lawmakers in an apparent move to cut in on the business of selling booze directly to restaurants and bars. Top recipients of the campaign contributions include:
$100,000: Gov. Rick Perry
$100,000: House Speaker Tom Craddick
$75,000: Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst
$40,000: Sen. Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth, chairman of the Sunset Advisory Commission, which recently reviewed whether to extend the life of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
$40,000: Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, chairman of the Senate business and commerce committee
$40,000: Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, dean of the Senate and member of Sunset Advisory Commission.
$20,000: to 23 of 31 senators
$10,000: to 26 House members, including 9 committee chairmen
$6,000: to 27 House members
$4,500: to 9 House members
$3,000: to 39 House members
$1,500: to 17 House members
SOURCE: Texas Ethics Commission filings. Three other senators and 11 other House members received contributions in different amounts, ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 each.
Tags: Texas, In the States, lobbying, ethics in government, pay-to-play (all tags)
You are not logged in.
In order to post a comment, you must be logged in. If you have a member account, please log in to comment.
If not, you can make an account just by filling out the form below. It's quick and free.
