| Organized and Interested: Groups Lobbying the 2003 Texas Legislature |
| Lobby Client |
Total Lobbyist Compensation |
Number of Lobbyists |
Average Compensation per Lobbyist |
|
| SBC Communications |
$5,595,000 |
193 |
$28,990 |
| TXU (Texas Utilities) |
$1,395,000 |
55 |
$25,364 |
| Electronic Data Systems Corp (include National Heritage Ins. & other subsidaries) |
$1,325,000 |
14 |
$94,643 |
| City of Houston |
$1,292,500 |
32 |
$40,391 |
| Texas Medical Association |
$1,275,000 |
27 |
$47,222 |
| Texas Association of Realtors |
$1,080,000 |
11 |
$98,182 |
| City of Austin |
$1,017,500 |
21 |
$48,452 |
| Association of Electric Companies of Texas, Inc. |
$995,000 |
31 |
$32,097 |
| Exxon Mobil Corporation |
$992,500 |
19 |
$52,237 |
| Texas Municipal League (TML) |
$942,500 |
17 |
$55,441 |
| Texas Hospital Association |
$917,500 |
19 |
$48,289 |
| CenterPoint Energy |
$915,000 |
17 |
$53,824 |
| Winstead Sechrest & Minick P.C. |
$825,000 |
5 |
$165,000 |
| Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County |
$820,000 |
19 |
$43,158 |
| McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore, LLP |
$817,500 |
6 |
$136,250 |
| Texas Association of School Boards |
$787,500 |
13 |
$60,577 |
| ACS (Affiliated Computer Services) State and Local Solutions Inc. |
$772,500 |
18 |
$42,917 |
| Independent Insurance Agents of Texas |
$737,500 |
7 |
$105,357 |
| Verizon Services Group |
$730,000 |
31 |
$23,548 |
| Asbestos Free Texas, Inc. |
$720,000 |
12 |
$60,000 |
| Silverleaf Resorts, Inc. |
$415,000 |
8 |
$51,875 |
| GTECH Corporation |
$287,500 |
3 |
$95,833 |
| Al Boenker Insurance Agency, Inc. |
$225,000 |
3 |
$75,000 |
| United Services Automobile Association (USAA) |
$192,500 |
10 |
$19,250 |
| Sierra Club (Lone Star Chapter) |
$167,500 |
4 |
$41,875 |
| Morgan Stanley & Co., Incorporated |
$150,000 |
2 |
$75,000 |
| Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District |
$145,000 |
6 |
$24,167 |
| Work Readiness Management Systems |
$125,000 |
1 |
$125,000 |
| Austin Independent School District |
$112,500 |
3 |
$37,500 |
| Association of Chemical Industry of Texas |
$95,000 |
7 |
$13,571 |
| TIBH Industries, Inc. |
$85,000 |
4 |
$21,250 |
| March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation |
$80,000 |
7 |
$11,429 |
| Texans for Economic Progress |
$75,000 |
1 |
$75,000 |
| GameTech International, Inc. |
$75,000 |
1 |
$75,000 |
| Global Electric Motorcars, LLC |
$75,000 |
2 |
$37,500 |
| Clark/Bardes Consulting |
$72,500 |
8 |
$9,063 |
| Deloitte & Touche, LLP |
$52,500 |
3 |
$17,500 |
| Golden Rule Insurance Company |
$42,500 |
2 |
$21,250 |
| Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company |
$40,000 |
8 |
$5,000 |
| City of Sunset Valley |
$37,500 |
1 |
$37,500 |
| Power Industries |
$37,500 |
1 |
$37,500 |
| Heritage Information Systems |
$37,500 |
1 |
$37,500 |
| Texas Physical Therapy Association |
$37,500 |
1 |
$37,500 |
| Cerexagri Inc. |
$35,000 |
2 |
$17,500 |
| Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America |
$30,000 |
6 |
$5,000 |
| City of Marshall, Texas |
$22,500 |
2 |
$11,250 |
| Republic Waste Services |
$20,000 |
4 |
$5,000 |
| Construction Management Association of America |
$17,500 |
1 |
$17,500 |
| MultiState Associates, Inc., on behalf of the PMSI, a PharMerica Company |
$17,500 |
1 |
$17,500 |
| Texas Public Interest Research Group (TexPIRG) |
$17,500 |
1 |
$17,500 |
| Heart Center of North Texas |
$17,500 |
1 |
$17,500 |
| Southern Methodist University |
$17,500 |
1 |
$17,500 |
| ARC Management Services, Inc. |
$15,000 |
3 |
$5,000 |
| C L Ranch |
$10,000 |
2 |
$5,000 |
| Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Coalition |
$10,000 |
2 |
$5,000 |
| Border Water Works |
$5,000 |
1 |
$5,000 |
| Lone Star Steel Company |
$5,000 |
1 |
$5,000 |
| Stevens & Rau, P.C. |
$5,000 |
1 |
$5,000 |
| Sneed, Vine & Perry, P.C. |
$5,000 |
2 |
$2,500 |
| Flowserve Corp. |
$5,000 |
1 |
$5,000 |
| Powers & Blount, L.L.P. |
$5,000 |
1 |
$5,000 |
| Texas Political & Legislative Committee/CWA |
$5,000 |
1 |
$5,000 |
| Texas Bison Association |
$0 |
1 |
$0 |
| The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas |
$0 |
1 |
$0 |
|
 |
|
 Politically effective interest groups and organizations command considerable resources and have keen interest in political outcomes. The client lists of the men and women registered to lobby the Texas Legislature – available from the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) – provide a cross-section of politically interested and well-organized groups. This table uses TEC data to illustrate the range of interests represented by the legislative lobby. It includes the top twenty groups ranked by total spending to hire lobbyists, and a representative sample of the other 2,168 groups hiring lobbyists during the 2003 legislative session. Notice that many of the top spenders on lobbyists are corporations. The organizational resources assembled for doing business – hierarchy, knowledge of relevant issues, and cash flow – are easily adapted to political mobilization. Also, policy decisions can have a tremendous impact on the bottom line, providing the foundation for ample political interest. Based on this list, can you guess some of the big issues addressed by the 2003 Legislature?
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