Pay to play in Austin?
Dallas Morning News | Liquor wholesalers ply legislators with cash
AUSTIN – 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.
The wholesale giants, Dallas-based Glazer’s Distributors and San Antonio’s Republic Beverage Co., are placing a big bet on getting the law changed.
They spent nearly five times more on lawmakers in the past 10 weeks than they did in the entire year before the 2005 session. According to Texas Ethics Commission filings released last week, Gov. Rick Perry and House Speaker Tom Craddick each took $100,000 and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst got $75,000 from officers of the wholesalers and their political committees.
There also were $20,000 donations to 23 of 31 Texas senators, $40,000 apiece to three other influential senators and at least $1,000 each to 130 of 150 House members. Almost half received $5,000 to $10,000 apiece.
The effort provides a clear snapshot of how money makes the Capitol go round.
“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.”
Now, all we have to do is sit back and wait to see who authors the bill and who votes for it. It will be interesting. Here is the breakdown so that we can look back when it comes to pass.
$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
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.
Technorati Tags: Liquor, austin, legislators, contributions, pay to play
Filed under: Liquor, Texas Ethics Commission, Texas House of Representatives, Texas Legislators, Texas Legislature, austin, campaign contributions, texas
