Now that lawmakers have convened in Austin, private citizens and PACs are no longer able to make political contributions, so the sole financial influence on lawmakers during the legislative session comes from lobbyists. In fact, in session and out, lobbying is by far the biggest source of money in Texas politics — and taxpayers are footing the bill for a lot of it. This look at the City of Houston is the first installment in our series analyzing the top taxpayer-funded entities in Texas.
Energy Transfer Partners Texas PAC
Texas Committee
$41,198Cash on Hand
$609,259Total Contributions
$623,014Total Expenditures
Financial Activity
Top Contributors
Total Contributions | Name |
|---|---|
| $87,494.16 | Marshall McCrea |
| $80,516.24 | Thomas Mason |
| $46,645.60 | James Wright |
| $41,025.24 | Justin Dolle |
| $37,632.50 | Timothy Small |
| $37,630.00 | Juan Rivera |
| $32,956.33 | Kendall Ruckel |
| $27,532.58 | Lee Hanse |
| $25,000.00 | Patrick Flavin |
| $21,300.00 | Jim Holotik |
Top Payees
Total Expenditures | Payee |
|---|---|
| $38,500.00 | Dade Phelan |
| $32,500.00 | George P Bush |
| $30,000.00 | Greg Abbott |
| $25,000.00 | HS LAW PAC |
| $25,000.00 | Texas Oil and Gas Association Good Government Committee |
| $20,784.00 | Cotton Culinary |
| $20,000.00 | Christi Craddick |
| $20,000.00 | Wayne Christian |
| $18,000.00 | Dawn Buckingham |
| $15,500.00 | Kelly Hancock |
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**Editor’s Note: Since this article went live, the Texas House formally elected Dade Phelan as Speaker of the House.**
Although disgraced Speaker of the Texas House Dennis Bonnen announced he would not seek reelection, he has not yet resigned, and he remains in control of more than $3.8 million. According to the most recent campaign finance reports released January 15, Bonnen has $824,334.01 in his campaign account and $2,996,243.90 in Texas Leads, a PAC established by Bonnen.