III. Lobbyists

A. $1.5 Million-Dollar Lobbyists
B. Fattest Lobby Contracts

A. Texas’ $1.5 Million Lobbyists

Thirty Texas lobbyists reported maximum lobby incomes exceeding $1.5 million apiece in 2005, up from the 26 lobbyists who cleared this amount in 2003. Collectively these 30 lobbyists billed their clients up to $67 million for 882 contracts. This accounted for one out of every five Texas lobby dollars.

Texas’ $1.5 Million Lobbyists

	Max.	Min.
	Value of	Value of	No. of
Lobbyist	Contracts	Contracts	Contracts	Lobbyist Description
Russell T. Kelley	$6,815,003	$4,355,004	64	Ex-Speaker's aide
Todd M. Smith	$3,650,000	$2,150,000	33	Todd Smith & Asc.; Impact TX Com.
Frank R. Santos	$3,050,000	$1,800,000	29	Ex-legis. aide at Santos Alliances
Laura M. Matz	$2,875,000	$1,710,000	27	At Santos Alliances
Kelly M. Sampley	$2,800,000	$1,675,000	26	At Santos Alliances
Randall H. Erben	$2,635,000	$1,360,001	30	Ex-Ast.Sec.of State;Ex-HUD Ast.Sec.
W. James Jonas	$2,560,005	$2,075,001	16	At Holland & Knight
Stan Schlueter	$2,410,000	$1,425,001	25	Ex-Chair House Calendars Com.
Walter Fisher	$2,400,000	$1,275,000	27	Ex-House & Sen. Parliamentarian
Luis E. Gonzalez	$2,400,000	$1,475,000	22	Ex-legislative aide
David Sibley	$2,345,000	$1,280,002	27	Ex-Chair Bus. & Commerce Com.
Andrea McWilliams	$2,280,000	$1,175,003	30	Ex-legislative aide
Ron E. Lewis	$2,200,000	$1,145,000	29	Ex-Legislator
Mignon McGarry	$2,135,000	$1,250,001	25	Ex-legislative aide
Debbie Fickessen	$2,000,000	$1,045,000	26	Ex-legislative aide
Dean McWilliams	$1,915,000	$960,004	27	Ex-legislative aide
Jack Roberts	$1,860,000	$990,001	26	Ex-Deputy Comptroller
Robert D. Miller	$1,705,000	$955,003	24	Ex-legislative aide
Bryan P. Eppstein	$1,670,000	$815,002	29	Heads the Eppstein Group
John Chris Gavras	$1,670,000	$815,002	29	At Eppstein Group
David A. Marwitz	$1,670,000	$815,002	29	Ex-mortician & Ex-gubernatorial aide
John T. Shults	$1,670,000	$815,002	29	At Eppstein Group
Neal ‘Buddy’ Jones	$1,605,000	$620,033	59	Ex-legislator & Speaker's aide
Joe B. Allen	$1,550,001	$890,005	26	At Allen Boone Humphries Robinson
Nancy Kwon	$1,550,001	$890,005	26	At Allen Boone Humphries Robinson
Camm C. Lary III	$1,550,001	$890,005	26	At Allen Boone Humphries Robinson
‘Cliff’ Johnson, Jr.	$1,550,000	$875,000	15	Ex-Legislator; Ex-governor's advisor
Christopher Shields	$1,545,000	$775,002	26	Ex-Gubernatorial legislative director
Pamela M. Giblin	$1,540,001	$715,009	56	Ex-TX Air Control Bd. Gen'l Counsel
J.E. ‘Buster’ Brown	$1,525,000	$780,000	19	Ex-Senator

As in 2003, Russell “Rusty” Kelley again ranked as the state’s top lobbyist in 2005, billing 64 clients up to $6.8 million. Before becoming managing director of Public Strategies, Kelley had been an S&L trade group vice president, a House Sergeant at Arms and an aide to then-House Speaker Billy Clayton, who also joined the lobby.

Rusty Kelley’s Top 2005 Clients

	Max. Value
Kelley Client	of Contract
Cheniere Energy, Inc.*	> $200,000
General Electric Co.*	> $200,000
Outdoor Advertising Assoc. of TX*	> $200,000
Allstate Insurance Co.	$200,000
Bass Enterprises Production Co.	$200,000
Credit Union Legislative Coalition	$200,000
E. TX Medical Center Regional Healthcare	$200,000
EMC Corp.	$200,000
Hillwood Development Corp.	$200,000
TX Beverage Assoc.	$200,000
TX Genco, LLC	$200,000
Aetna, Inc.	$150,000
CEMEX	$150,000
Coalition of Effective Charters	$150,000
Crow Family Partnership, LP	$150,000
Dell Computer	$150,000
El Paso Water Utilities	$150,000
Entergy/Gulf States, Inc.	$150,000
General Motors	$150,000
Nat’l Assoc. of Real Estate Investment Trusts	$150,000
TX Assoc. of Public & Non Profit Hospitals	$150,000
TX Woman's University Foundation	$150,000
U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, Inc.	$150,000

*The maximum value of these “greater-than-$200,000” contracts are unknown.

B. Fattest Lobby Contracts

Texas lobbyists reported 43 mega-contracts in 2005 worth unspecified amounts of “more than $200,000” apiece. This was up from the 35 mega-contracts that Texas lobbyists reported in 2003. The public has no way of knowing if one of these contracts is worth $200,001 or $5 million.

Fattest Lobby Contracts With Real Clients
(Maximum Contract Value Exceeds $200,000)

No. of Fat
Contracts	Lobby Client	Fat-Contract Lobbyist(s)
3	Citgo Petroleum Corp.	Kerry Cammack, Elena Guerra, Julie Williams
3	City of Texas City	Joe B. Allen, Nancy Kwon, Camm Lary III
2	Mesa Water, Inc.	Monty G. Humble, Joe Bill Watkins
2	TX Business Law Foundation	P. John Kuhl, Jr., Marion Sanford
2	TX Windstorm Insurance Assoc.	Todd Ames Hunter, Polly A. McCann
1	Argonaut Group, Inc.	W. James Jonas III
1	Blue Cross Blue Shield of TX	Elton Bomer
1	CGI-AMS	W. James Jonas III
1	Cheniere Energy, Inc.	Rusty Kelley
1	Constellation Energy Group	Jean M. Ryall
1	General Electric Co.	Rusty Kelley
1	Harley-Davidson Financial Serv's	Donal Hummer, Jr.
1	Hunt ELP	Mark A. Smith
1	Indep’t Colleges & Univ's of TX	Carol L. McDonald
1	Mary Kay, Inc.	Anne C. Crews
1	Outdoor Advertising Assoc. of TX	Rusty Kelley
1	Pearson, Inc.	W. James Jonas III
1	Shell Oil Co.	George Edward Pickle
1	State Farm Mutual Auto Insur.	Elton Bomer
1	TX Assoc. of Realtors	Not Disclosed*
1	TX Cable & Telecom. Assoc.	Dale E. Laine
1	TX Trial Lawyers Assoc.	Nicholas K. Kralj
1	True Beginnings, LLC	George H. Clements III

*The Texas Association of Realtors is listed as both the lobbyist and the client on this contract.

In another disclosure failing, 43 lobbyists reported their own firm or another firm as the client for these mega-contracts. There is no way to know if unethical lobbyists and firms abuse such disclosure to conceal the identities of other paying clients. For one huge contract, the Texas Association of Realtors reported itself as both the lobbyist and client.

Fattest Lobby Contracts Listing Lobby/Law Firms As 'Clients'
(Maximum Contract Value Exceeds $200,000)

No. of Huge
Contracts	Firm	Fat-Contract Lobbyist(s)
3	McGinnis Lochridge & Kilgore	Gaylord Armstrong, Keith Strama, Mary Reagan
2	Baker Botts	Pamela Giblin, Robert Strauser
1	Bicameral Consultants, Inc.	Johnnie B. Rogers, Jr.
1	Gardere Wynne Sewell	Elton Bomer
1	Holland & Knight	W. James Jonas III
1	James Jonas & Associates	W. James Jonas III
1	Kemp Smith	Thomas A. Forbes
1	Locke Liddell & Sapp	Gary D. Compton
1	Thompson & Knight	Victor Alcorta III
1	Vinson & Elkins	Joe Bill Watkins

©Copyright Texans for Public Justice, August 2006