Texans for Lawsuit Reform spends millions on candidates who harm the agenda of conservatives in the state of Texas, a review of Texas Ethics Commission data reveals.
In 2012 TLR gave just 3% to lawmakers receiving an A rating on an average of conservative indexes. The PAC gave nine times that amount to lawmakers who failed the indexes. Of the 53 failing lawmakers, 33 of them are Republicans and 20 are Democrats.
The bulk of money they gave went to B and C level legislators, and these grades aren't as good as they sound. Scorecards don't measure behind-the-scenes agenda-setting, which is a huge part of making the laws we live under. Legislators who lack the devotion to make "As" on the tailored agenda that makes it to the floor are almost sure to be on the wrong side of agenda-setting.
TLR came to Austin for lawsuit reform, but, as often happens, have realized the advantages of having inside access to legislative spending. They protect incumbents who support tort reform no matter how bad they are on other issues. This despite the fact that there is no shortage of support for tort reform in any quarters.
For as long as they got away with it, TLR pretended to be “movement conservatives” but this political fog-generating myth has fallen to the ground.
| Score | Amount | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| A | $99539 | 3% |
| B | $1115258 | 35% |
| C | $1043859 | 32% |
| D | $76800 | 2% |
| F | $851337 | 27% |
*Data contained in this post was collected by searching the TEC database for donations made during the year 2012. Search terms used include "TLR," "Texans for Lawsuit Reform," and "Lawsuit". Conservative indexes averaged to compile this report include Texas Eagle Forum, Young Conservatives of Texas and Texans for Fiscal Responsibility.