Texas lawmakers are ready for some football

Source: Houston ChronicleSept.儲存倉 08--AUSTIN -- Are you ready for some football?Texas lawmakers sure are.Sunday marks the first weekend of NFL action, kicking off an annual ritual for state lobbyists: gifting tens of thousands of dollars in tickets to lawmakers for Cowboys and Texans games, along with free access to some of the biggest collegiate football matches across the state.It's just one of the perks that comes with being in public office in Texas -- and it's not only legal, it's the status quo for anyone in the lobby industry looking to gain extra access to the state's most important decision-makers.Texas ethics laws allow lobbyists to shower lawmakers, state employees and their immediate families with all sorts of freebies, as long as the value does not exceed $500 per calendar year. Lobbyists can give gifts that exceed $500 if they split the cost. The lenient ethics code has led to a lavish culture of gift-giving at the Legislature over the years with all sorts of tokens doled out, including concert passes, hunting trips, guns and out-of-state travel.Free sporting tickets, however, remain one of the most popular form of free entertainment for lobbyists looking to cement goodwill with lawmakers, according to data.A review of state ethics records shows that since 2005 lobbyists have reported giving away a variety of sporting tickets worth as much as $192,000 to a combination of lawmakers, state employees and their families. In 2012 alone, lobbyists doled out sporting tickets valued up to $16,600.College games freeOver the years, lawmakers have been given access to see just about every major sports franchise in the Lone Star State, including the Texans, Cowboys, Spurs, Rockets, Mavericks, Astros and Rangers. NASCAR too.On rare occasions, lawmakers also have scored tickets for events such as the Rose Bowl, NCAA Sweet 16 and NBA All Star Game, records show. And they're given free entrance into any home college football game at major universities like the University of Texas and Texas A&M.Watchdog groups argue it's just another example of Texas lawmakers being beholden to special interests."This is part of the currency of the Legislature," said Tom "Smitty" Smith, Texas director of the nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen. "Lawmakers are far more likely to vote with someone they've had a pleasurable or unique experience with or one they rate as high-value like being able to go to a game and sit in a sky box."A few of Houston's top ticket-takers: Rep. Alma Allen, D-Houston, who has attended a free Texans game every year since 2005, using lobby tickets with a value up to $4,000 for her and her family, and Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, who has accepted tickets worth around $2,000 since 2005.Texans owner generousJust three weeks ago, a dozen lawmakers from Harris County piled into a luxury booth in Reliant Stadium to watch the Texans beat the Miami Dolphins. It was part of the team's annual pre-season event for elected officials, one that's been held since at least 2006.In that time, Texans owner Bob McNair has given away tickets worth up to $46,000 to host lawmakers in his box, records show. McNair has thrown down in the neighborhood of $15,000 for food and drink during those games.For the team, it's a community-building opportunity: Officials say McNair regularly hosts folks from the arts, higher education and medical communities. And while intense when there's action on the field -- binoculars in hand or constantly scribbling notes -- it's n迷你倉價錢t uncommon for McNair to chat up his guests during halftime.Chance for face timeFor the team's lobbyist, however, it's a chance to rub elbows and get extra face time with the same lawmakers he's paid to influence during the mad dash of a legislative session."It's a chance to get to know the person," said Texans lobbyist John Greytok. "I'm not trying to bend their ear. I want them to have a good time."Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, said conversation tends to steer clear of legislative issues."We usually talk football," said Dutton, who has attended pre-season games since 2006. "I haven't had one request from Bob McNair. I don't know what favor he would even ask for, but he's never asked me for one."More free ticketsBy contrast, when lawmakers watch a game with a Cowboys team lobbyist, there's no one-on-one potential with owner Jerry Jones."He doesn't give face time on game day," said Bill Miller, a founding partner in HillCo Partners, the lobby firm that handles the Cowboys account in Austin. "He's all about game day."Both football teams have an array of lobbyists on hand in Austin to protect the interests of their respective billion-dollar businesses.The Cowboys keep five lobbyists on their state lobby payroll, with contracts valued up to $90,000. The Texans report five lobbyists of their own working issues in Austin with contracts valued up to $120,000"These are high-profile institutions and they get targeted. You have to be on their toes," said Miller, who also represents the Rockets, Rangers and Astros.The sporting teams are active every session on issues involving taxes, traffic and alcohol sales, lobbyists said.Not all of the tickets come directly from the team or their hired guns. In fact, most don't -- and some claim there's more free tickets going around than what's actually being fully reported.Inadequate reportingLobbyists working for mega corporations that own luxury suites often use company tickets to woo lawmakers. Or an outside lobbyist can simply buy tickets to a game and charge their client for reimbursement.Companies like AT&T, CenterPoint Energy, ConocoPhillips and the powerful trade group Texas Trial Lawyers Association make up a few that have disclosed treating lawmakers to free sporting events.In the case of the Texans, outside lobbyists reported give away passes to games worth about $26,000 since 2005, according to data. Outside lobbyists have spent about the same on tickets to Cowboys games.But that's only what's being fully disclosed. Watchdog groups say there's potentially thousands of dollars more in free sporting tickets that never get fully reported.Avoiding disclosureHow to skirt disclosure rules? Simple: A lobbyist can split the cost of a sporting ticket below the $90 threshold that requires a lawmaker's name and the event attended to be reported. When it's done like that, lobbyists can file the free tickets as a generic entertainment expenditure -- sans the detailed reporting requirement."It's hard to quantify the amount of free tickets because it's not all disclosed," said Andrew Wheat, a research director at Texans for Public Justice. "The lobbyists have figured out ways to circumvent disclosure, and the politicians would rather have the gift without any disclosure than suggest they're beholden to a given lobbyist."Austin Bureau staff writer Josh Fechter contributed to this story.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Houston Chronicle Visit the Houston Chronicle at .chron.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉