School-finance special session a boon for lobbyists Abilene Reporter News
	By Associated Press May 10, 2004 AUSTIN -        As Texas lawmakers work to overhaul the state's school-finance system, groups interested in schools, gambling, alcohol and tobacco have paid lobbyists millions of dollars to make sure their voices are heard. Lobbyists have received between $6.1 million and $13.1 million since Jan. 1 from those groups, and millions more were spent by businesses seeking to avoid new taxes, The Dallas Morning News reported. The newspaper, which analyzed state disclosure reports, could not determine exactly how much was spent because firms only are required to report payments in a range, such as less than $10,000 or between $10,000 and $24,999. Gov. Rick Perry called the special session last month to lower property taxes and end the state's share-the-wealth school-finance system, which forces districts with high property tax bases to subsidize their less wealthy counterparts. Roughly 200 school districts are suing the state over how schools are funded in Texas, and many have hired their own lobbyists to influence the outcome of the session their legal action prompted. In all, the 122 lobbyists hired by umbrella groups, education-related companies and school districts have been paid between $2.9 million and $6.2 million since Jan. 1. Lawmakers have considered raising money for schools by legalizing video gambling or raising taxes on cigarettes. In response, gambling and tobacco groups have paid 144 lobbyists between $3.2 million and $6.9 million since the year began. ''When it became clear the governor would call a special session and include gambling language, we took a more aggressive approach,'' said Jan Jones, a senior vice president for Harrah's Entertainment. ''If the state is going to consider gambling, we want to be at the table.'' Copyright 2004, Abilene Reporter News. All Rights Reserved. Back to News Articles