After session's adjournment and summer vacation, fundraising begins anew

So, around the week of June 20, after a nice summer vacation break, we can expect our lawmakers and lobbyists to begin again pressing the flesh and passing around the cash for a job well done

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Isaac received $215,000 and spent $213,000
in the last reporting period

By Bob Ochoa
Editor

The 82nd Regular Session of the Texas Legislature is winding down. Including today, there are nine days remaining which typically are marked by a flurry of activity and horse trading between members, constituents and lobbyists to rush favored legislation to passage and to try to keep other bills on ice that are not so favored.

The Legislature will adjourn, Sine Die, at midnight May 30. As of today, House Speaker Joe Strauss' office said there have been no calls for a special session.

For statewide office holders and legislators, adjournment signals the start of a fresh infusion of campaign cash. Texas election law restricts legislators from accepting contributions 30 days prior to the session and 20 days after adjournment. See also the Texas Ethics Commission's comprehensive Campaign Finance Guide.

So, around the week of June 20, after a nice summer vacation break, we can expect our lawmakers and lobbyists to begin again pressing the flesh and passing around the cash for a job well done.

If State Rep. Jason Isaac picks up where he left off before the start of the current session, he might be able to erase some of the $300,250.00 in loans left over from his 2010 campaign (assuming there's a call on the loans) and raise enough for a re-election run (assuming he runs).

There is no obvious reason why he would not. The new House District 45 probably will be downsized to two counties, Hays and Blanco, and will lean more Republican, thanks to a state redistricting map that is being drawn up in the Lege.

Isaac did pretty well attracting contributions in the lead up to the session. According to his latest campaign finance report filed Jan. 19, 2011 with the Texas Ethics Commission, covering the period Oct. 24, 2010 through Dec. 31, 2010, Isaac had received $214,927.93, spent $212,943.39, and had a balance of $81,109.63 in contributions as of the last day of the reporting period.

Close to half of Isaac's campaign expenditures, $106,643.32, went to Anthem Media (5524 Bee Caves Rd Austin) for advertising and media buys (page 48 of the report). Another chunk, about $76,000, was paid to Casteel/Erwin Associates (PO 1153 Austin) for political consulting (beginning page 49).

Isaac proved pretty adept at raising contributions, or, a lot of people just had a lot of money to dispense to an untested and unproven freshman lawmaker from Dripping Springs-Belterra.

Among Isaac's biggest contributors, aside from Dripping Springs' Robert Seale's whopping $300,000-plus contribution early in Isaac's campaign, were:

$25,000 – Texans for Lawsuit Reform, Austin, TX
$19,914.45 – Republican Party of Texas, Austin, TX
$10,000 – Associated Republicans of Texas, Austin, TX
$10,000 – Bob J. Perry, Homebuilder, Houston, TX
$8,000 – C B & B Realty, San Marcos, TX
$6,400 – Will VanLoh, Houston, TX
$6,400 – Troy Neugebauer, Nashville, TN
$5,000 – Citizens for Joe Crabb (former state representative), Humble, TX
$2,000 – American Electric Power Co. Committee for Responsible Government, Columbus, OH
$2,000 – Aqua America Inc., H2O PAC, Bryn Mawr, PA
$1,000 – Beer Alliance of Texas, Austin, TX
$1,500 – Brown McCarroll, LLP, Austin, TX
$2,500 – Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Durant, OK
$1,000 – (Hon) Mike Conaway (Congressman), Midland, TX
$200 – William P. Conley, Wimberley, TX
$250 – El Paso Electric Co Employee PAC, El Paso, TX
$1,000 – Farmers Employee and Agent PAC, Austin, TX
$2,500 – Terry Paul Gilmore, San Marcos, TX
$1,000 – GOPAC, Austin, TX
$2,133 – Wallace L. Hall, Jr., Dallas, TX
$1,000 – HBA Home PAC, Austin, TX
$2,500 – Hillco PAC, Austin, TX
$1,000 – HS Law PAC, Austin, TX
$500 – Humana Texas PAC, Washington, D.C.
$1,500 – Independent Bankers Association PAC, Austin, TX
$1,000 – Independent Insurance Agents of Texas PAC, Austin, TX
$2,000 – Robert J. Jackson, Dripping Springs, TX
$1,000 – JPMorgan Chase & Co. PAC, Chicago, IL
$500 – Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, El Paso, TX
$1,000 – John Lawson, Austin, TX
$2,000 – George W. Murfee, Austin, TX
$500 – PharmPAC, Austin, TX
$200 – Jim Powers, Dripping Springs, TX
$2,000 – Ryan Texas PAC, Dallas, TX
$2,500 – Jeff Davis Sandefer, Austin, TX
$2,500 – Richard R. Scott, Houston, TX
$5,014 – In kind phone bank, Robert Seale, Executive, CBG Holdings Inc, Dripping Springs TX
$2,000 – Sam Shackelford, Austin, TX
$250 – Lon Shell, San Marcos, TX
$1,000 – Harold Simmons, Dallas, TX
$500 – TBA Bank PAC, Austin, TX
$500 – TCA PAC, Austin, TX
$500 – Tex Hy PAC, Fort Worth, TX
$250 – Tex-Pipe PAC, Austin, TX
$1,000 – Texas Aggregates and Concrete Association, Austin, TX
$2,000 – Texas and Southwest Cattle Raisers Association PAC, Fort Worth, TX
$1,000 – Texas Apartment Association PAC, Austin, TX
$1,000 – Texas Association of Builders HomePAC of Texas, Austin, TX
$500 – Texas Association of Health Underwriters PAC, Duncanville, TX
$1,500 – Texas Association of Realtors PAC, Austin, TX
$1,000 – Texas Automobile Dealers Association PAC, Austin, TX
$1,000 – Texas Construction Association PAC, Austin, TX
$1,000 – Texas Friends of Time Warner PAC, Houston, TX
$515.96 – Texas Home School Coalition PAC, Lubbock, TX
$1,000 – Texas Medical Association PAC, Austin, TX
$1,000 – Texas Restaurant Association PAC, Austin, TX
$1,000 – Texas State Farm Agents PAC, Austin, Tx
$2,000 – Truck PAC, Austin, TX
$1,000 – Valero PAC, San Antonio, TX
$1,000 – Vinson & Elkins Texas PAC, Houston, TX
$2,500 – Eric Willis, Pflugerville, TX