Highlights and [bracketed comments] added

AUSTIN - Lobbyists have spent at least $12.8 million in the last four years wining and dining Texas lawmakers and other state workers - including thousands of dollars for trips to a Ritz-Carlton lodge in Georgia, a resort in British Columbia and the Hyatt Regency in Lake Tahoe, according to a Houston Chronicle review.

Since 2005, they have doled out more than $3.5 million directly on state senators and representatives - and another $3.8 million on lawmakers’ staffs for everything from meals and entertainment to golf excursions and other outings, Texas Ethics Commission records show.

The lavish gifts and entertainment reflect how much lobbyists acting for companies and special interest groups are willing to spend to influence the lawmakers and officials who decide public policy in Texas.

Even seasoned Austin watchdogs said the $12.8 million is staggering.

The top 10 lobbyists - who represent electric, cable and construction interests - spent more than $1 million alone, according to the data, which the Chronicle obtained under state open-record laws.

Lobbyists say they spend money on lawmakers and officials to inform them of their clients’ concerns. But critics say lobbyists use meals and entertainment to get close to lawmakers and other state officials, giving them an advantage over those who can’t afford to do the same.

“Legislators aren’t going to bite the hands that feed them,” said Tom “Smitty” Smith, director of watchdog group Public Citizen of Texas. “The biggest lobbyists and the biggest industries are feeding your legislators richly every night here in Austin.”

Lawmakers have structured the rules so that most of their contacts with lobbyists are not reported. Instead, lobbyists typically only have to report aggregate totals of their spending without state officials’ names.

Results follow perks

Occasionally, though, lobbyists host events that require details, offering a glimpse into the perks afforded some lawmakers. And in some cases, favorable legislative efforts followed the perks.

In November 2006, for example, the Texas Council of Engineering Companies spent more than $10,000 flying several lawmakers to the Ritz-Carlton Lodge in Greensboro, GA.

The four-day “public affairs” conference included seminars and meals in which lawmakers say they discussed state policy with council members, many of whom own large construction companies with interests in government road, building and water construction projects.

Lawmakers at the event included state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, who spent at least three days at the resort, which touts its proximity to antebellum towns and championship golf courses. Williams received free lodging and transportation and at least $400 in food and beverages.

Williams, a financial adviser, sponsored several bills affecting engineers a few months after the conference during the 2007 legislative session, including one law that exempted them from liability for work performed during a government-declared natural disaster.

The engineering association, after the session ended, highlighted at least four bills carried by Williams in a memo on new legislation affecting its members.

Williams’ chief of staff, Janet Stieben, said the engineering legislation was a reaction to Hurricane Rita, which struck the Gulf Coast in September 2005, not the meeting in Georgia.

“I don’t think you could correlate specifically from the convention,” she said. “It comes from many different sources.”

The engineers’ lobbyist, Steve Stagner, spent nearly $15,000 the following summer to send several lawmakers to the Fairmont Chateau Whistler Resort in British Columbia, Canada.

Lawmakers who attended included state Reps. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands; Wayne Smith, R-Baytown; a licensed engineer; and state Sen. Mike Jackson, R-La Porte; among others. Stagner reported spending an estimated $3,000 apiece on the members for the trip.

In exchange for speaking, the officials each received food and beverages worth between $450 and $600. They also received two golf outings, each valued at between $100 and $150, according to the reports, which list spending ranges in some categories.

Eissler defended the trip as a chance for members to mix with one another and talk to industry leaders who have a stake in state policy.

“Our top priority is to represent our districts, and the lobby situation is a two-way street,” he said, noting that he might discuss policy with AT&T at one event while also hearing from rival Time Warner Cable. “The lobby does have a function, and that is information.”

Other lobbying groups spent thousands on trips, including the Associated General Contractors, which spent nearly $40,000 to send several lawmakers and their wives to the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe in 2006 for a management conference.

Details lacking

State law generally bans lobbyists from paying for members’ travel, except for fact-finding trips or for conferences, seminars or educational events where members “render services,” such as addressing an audience.

“We’re just trying to follow the law like anyone else,” Stagner said. “If they change the law, then we won’t do it.”

Lobbyists emphasize that they file public reports to document their spending. But, unlike the conferences, specific details about most lobbying activities typically are not available, nor is there a searchable online database on what information is public.

State ethics laws in most cases require lobbyists only to report monthly spending totals, rather than detailed listings of members and officials who benefited from meals, drinks, entertainment, gifts and trips.

Easing the rules

Since 2005, for example, lobbyists have spent more than $7 million on food and beverages in an effort to influence state policy, records show. But only a small percentage of those meals are documented , leaving taxpayers clueless about most of their legislators’ social contacts with lobbyists.

Lawmakers changed the lobby rules in 2003, increasing the amount that would require disclosure of their names. Previously, a meal costing more than $50 would land a legislator’s name in the public record. Now, that threshold is 60 percent of a lawmakers’ per diem allowance, or about $100.

“There should be a lot more detail that is required to be presented,” said Fred Lewis, an Austin lawyer and ethics reform advocate. “That information should be recorded and presented to the public.”

Lobbyists say they are just trying to participate in the system, and that after-work dinners and drinks sometimes are the only times they can talk to busy lawmakers amid the hustle of the 140-day legislative session.

“It’s just part of the process,” said Rick Donley, a longtime lobbyist who represents distributors in the Beer Alliance of Texas. “I have never, ever had anybody suggest to me, ‘Do this, and I’ll do that.’ ”

But watchdogs like Smith say average citizens do not have the same opportunities to speak with their leaders during meals and other events. He called it a corrupting influence.

“Lobbyists know that if you take a member out for a fancy dinner, they are going to remember that experience favorably and have favorable thoughts when you walk in the door and want a favor,” he said.

Reporter R.G. Ratcliffe contributed to this report.

LOBBY LEADERS

These 10 lobbyists combined spent more than $1 million on legislators and state employees since 2005:

• TOM JOHNSON : $153,733 - Associated General Contractors of Texas
• MARK MALONE: $139,086 - Energy Future Holdings Corp., National Teacher Associates Life Insurance Company, Time Warner Cable, Humana
• RICK DONLEY: $117,880 - Beer Alliance of Texas
• JUNE DEADRICK: $111,025 - CenterPoint Energy Inc.
• STEVE STAGNER: $103,180 - Texas Council of Engineering Companies
• CHARLES STUART: $99,790 - BlueCross BlueShield of Texas
• RUSTY KELLEY: $94,485 - AT&T, American Airlines, Trinity Industries, among others
• A.P.BOYD: $84,060 - Associated General Contractors of Texas
• LEE F. TAYLOR: $77,844 - Associated General Contractors of Texas
• JOHN URRABAZO: $72,765 - CenterPoint Energy Inc.

SOURCES: Texas Ethics Commission; Chronicle research

Search lobbyists' spending reports
http://blogs.chron.com/texaspolitics/archives/2009/01/search_lobbyist.html

READER COMMENTS (Here’s a summary of over 150 of them. Follow the article’s links for the rest.)

HOT: It's obvious from these many comments that the public distains the role of lobbyists and the politicians who benefit financially. WIKIPEDIA defines lobbying as “the practice of influencing decisions made by government” and lobbyists as “a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest.” The problem is that big money interests can “buy” more influence than individual citizens or small businesses - influence that creates TRUST. The challenge for policy makers is to understand ALL of the perspectives and, hopefully, filter the collective voice of many individuals versus the powerful voice of the lobbyist.

When attending public hearings to testify, individuals often get just 3 minutes to make their point while lobbyists get much more time - over and above their time spent at sponsored conferences and events. That disparity hardly seems fair, so Homeowners of Texas was started as a non-profit consumer advocacy group to represent YOU, the Texas homeowner. We don’t have a budget for campaign contributions or conferences and can't buy influence, so we have to earn it.

Hopefully, by understanding the legislative process and talking to hundreds of homeowners across the state, we can bring a collective voice and sound arguments to politicians in a way that is more effective than individual 3-minute testimonies, even hundreds or even thousands of them.

It helps that our office is just two blocks from the Capitol, giving us easier access to than most people. If you like the work we’re doing and want to help, we can use your financial or volunteering support. And if you have information you'd like to share or have other recommendations, please contact  .

RethinkingLife wrote:
Wouldn't we call this bribery if it occurred in any other sector of society? I wouldn't have taken money, gifts, vacations, etc. from parents of the kids I taught just so that their kids could pass my class. But we legitimize this practice when it is between politicians and people hired by businesses to protect their interests? What about the interests of the taxpayers who elect the politicians? And why don't politicians realize that they are our SERVANTS, from President Obama down to the smallest city councilman? They work for US. They (and we) should not allow BRIBERY to be part of the picture. And that's what lobbyists do--they BRIBE.

Jaxxx wrote:
We vote a person in office and then the Lobbyists takes over and they vote for them not us any more, if we never outlaw Lobbyists we the people will never have a government that belongs to the people, and yes RethinkingLife, it sure is bribery any way you look at it!!!

LoveAstros wrote:
I think somewhere along the line politicians forgot that they're public servants. There is no room for lobbyist and special interest groups in politics. I thought they were supposed to be looking after the peoples best interest not corporate propaganda. I applaud Obama for his first act as president to come down on his cabinet and forbid being involved with lobbyist or special interest groups, now go after the rest of them. People we need to start coming down on politicians who are involved in lobbying, it's nothing short of bribery.

no_more_mr_nice_guy wrote:
Where are the lobbyist's for the American people? Who lobby's for us? Why is our voice not heard? Oh never mind. The article kind of explains it all. The people who we vote into office who should be lobbying on our behalf yet bend over for the special interests of a few. I get it now. A shamelful act of greed and corruption. On both sides.

[HOT is one of many non-profit corporations who represent the interests of of everyday Americans. We need your support in this effort to overcome the significant influence of industry.]

zilch wrote:
The politicians call it lobbying because bribery sounds so ugly but they are still a bunch of crooks.

AlE wrote:
Do you ever wonder why taxes are so high? (road construction & maintenance, medical costs, insurance costs) Jefferson with frozen cash and Barney Frank are just a cool breeze compared to the real ice burg. Try to imagine a world without the elaborate schemes all the way down to bribed local inspectors and you would see a world without a financial problem.....Add the UN as another ice burg...Patriots anyone???

JKKTX wrote:
Corrupting the state legislature is big business. People should vote these crooked politicians out of office. Lobbyists should be arrested for bribery.
houstonCPA: I agree with you totally! The issue is the politicians. This is like blaming the prostitute and the John gets off free. But then, one usually compares the politician to the prostitute, so maybe that comparison doesn't quite work. There is nothing worse for this state, or for the nation, than politicians who are totally beholding to lobbyists. The politician will never say no. The current system of lobbying is nothing more than legalized graft.

mpwitt wrote:
Texas has always had the best politicians that money could buy.

Ed44 wrote:
www.informed.org -- The public, meaning YOU, can help counter this by:
1 - Becoming involved in the activities of our Legislators,
2 - Supporting, in whatever way you can, those who ADVOCATE for YOU, the public, in opposition to those who are paid to lobby for loot for their clients - typically, a government contractor.

1tim116 wrote:
It is bribery just like campaign contributions to judges and district attorneys.

GardenGal wrote:
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the reason most people get into politics in the first place.

Cygnus wrote:
This propagates the myth that lobbying is bad or unethical. The subtext of this whole article is that lobbyists are corrupt and any politician that meets with them is working against the public interest. Not true. Being an effective legislator means understanding the impact of legislation. Tapping the expertise of business, and industry is critical and necessary. Legislators don't have to "defend" these meetings.

[HOT: The problem comes when legislators meet more with lobbyists and trust them more than the consituents who elected them.]

stormkite wrote:
The Free Market in action.... Big companies and big money have discovered that owning your own legislators is the best investment you can make, and the legislators have likewise determined that selling their votes and services to the highest bidder is where the money is... and it's got to be kept quiet because the people and those darn liberals in the media just don't understand the way the free market is supposed to work.

Ya_Da_Ya_Da_Ya_Da wrote:
Welcome to the "culture of corruption" created by Tom Delay and Jack Abermoff. Texas is still living in De Lay Lay Land.

Cypress08 wrote:
We can sit back and hope Texas Government changes for the better or do something about it as is now being done in Washington. I did not vote for President Obama but am damn proud of what he has done his 1st week. Check it out - http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing_room/executive_orders/

stormkite wrote:
Don't forget, while you're yelling at the politicians and the lobbyists, that those tens of millions of bucks don't come out of the lobbyists' pockets. The companies and interests that hire them know precisely what's going on... who's being bought and what they cost. They actually paid the bills... and they know.
.
If you jail lobbyists and lawmakers, and don't do anything about the real money men, nothing changes but the names on the doors. There's no shortage of potential lobbyists or legislators waiting for the next corporate teat to come free.

beagleowner wrote:
Again, we see in Texas, that most decisions affecting our state are made long before our State Representitives & Senators start the 140-day legislative session in Austin. The long list of lobbyist for the building industry will again make state regulation of residential construction a Nation-Wide JOKE. The state commission is run by home builders to regulate home builders. What a bunch of crooks!

[Another perspective is that MOST bills are written by special interests and not by legislators. The special interests then look for legislators willing to sponsor the bills.]

Matt1989 wrote:
This article is extremely slanted to make lobbyists look evil. Our country was founded on the principle of citizens having the right to lobby their lawmakers. Since most Americans/Texans do not have the time, or do not make time, lobbyists have arisen as professionals to lobby on behalf of the citizens.

Some organizations that hire lobbyists include: Texas Right to Life, AARP, University of Texas, ATM, Baylor College of Medicine, the City of Houston, NRA.

In fact, statistics show that about 80% of Americans support a lobbying firm in some form or another. By paying dues to AARP, you are funding lobbying.

You can either conlude that lobbyists are evil and Americans should have no voice in government, or that lobbyists work in place of Americans who do not have time to lobby their government.

jdhogg wrote:
"The top 10 lobbyists - who represent electric, cable and construction interests" --- We shouldn't need to wonder why our electricity rates are among the highest in the nation, why cable costs continue to go up at a rate well above the rate of inflation, and why the buyer loses every time a new home is sold.

uphere wrote:
Government of the people by big business for big business.

bentfork wrote:
IF you want to read a well-researched article relating to money & access to elected officials, try this link to "Politicians Get Burned Paving Texas Backwards, From the Top Down" @ http://www.tpj.org/watchyourassets/ttc/.

It is up to us as citizens & voters to play a role in holding elected officials accountable. BIG MEDIA provides less than is healthy to play THEIR historic role these days. BIG staff cuts have left too few "live" reporters "on the ground" watching the legislators and state officials in Austin as the state budget has grown ever larger. A commentary worth reading on "Democracy and media" is @ http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2003874210_coppop09.html

We enable bad government when we ignore it. Partisan attacks do NOTHING to change the system. Many of the comments are exclusively partisan rants.

HOT: Several readers asked for a list of the politicians who benefited financially, so here are some articles about the revolving door between public officials and lobbyists and about campaign contributions going to our Governor, all 9 members of the Texas Supreme Court, members of the TRCC, and members of the Texas House and Senate.

01/18/09: Revolving door at Texas environmental agency?
11/10/08: Campaign Money: Big donors fuel Texas House races
09/25/08: Sun Never Sets On Politicians Taking Homebuilder Money
08/24/08: A builder, a commission and a lot of cash 
07/20/08: Bob Perry: building homes and candidacies 
05/02/08: Texas Supreme Court rules against Mansfield couple in battle with homebuilder

Matt Stiles, Houston Chronicle (matt.stiles@chron.com)
01/24/2008

Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/6229050.html

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