TX HD 61: Phil King Admits To Taking Super Bowl Tickets From CenterPoint Lobbyist
State Rep. Phil King (R-Weatherford), Chair of the House Committee on Regulated Industries, has admitted to accepting two free Super Bowl tickets from a CenterPoint Energy lobbyist in 2005. This comes after two years of King denying to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the utility lobbyist paid for his luxury box tickets:
King told the Star-Telegram in 2005 that CenterPoint did not pay for his ticket and that he did not discuss legislative business during the game.
However, Texas Ethics Commission Reports filed in 2004 by CenterPoint VP Scott E. Rozzell show that Rozzell spent $876.30 on King and his son during the game. Rozelle told the Star-Telegram that this included the cost of the tickets.
Now, of course, King admits to taking the tickets:
Asked about the Ethics Commission report Wednesday, King acknowledged that he had not paid for the tickets.
“I did pay for all my travel and my hotel,” King said. “We had an offer for a free ticket, and we took it.”
More interesting, it appears that lobbyist Rozelle violated the law in entertaining King and his son, and that King may have violated the law by accepting the tickets and hospitality. Texas Government Code 305.024 states:
(a) Except as provided by Section 305.025, a person registered under Section 305.005 or a person on the registrant’s behalf and with the registrant’s consent or ratification may not offer, confer, or agree to confer:
(2) to an individual described by Section 305.0062(a)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), or (7):
(B) an expenditure or series of expenditures for entertainment that in the aggregate exceed $500 in a calendar year;
(C) an expenditure or series of expenditures for gifts that in the aggregate exceed $500 in a calendar year;
By Rozelle’s own admission, he states he spent well over $800 on King and his son. Subsection (B) above clearly allows no more than $500 of such expenditures per calendar year. Furthermore, it is difficult to see how (C) above wasn’t violated in an even more significant fashion, since, according to USA Today, the average price of a Super Bowl ticket in 2004 was $2,606. Even if the company had the tickets free through a sponsorship or other agreement, the value of the tickets far exceeded $500.00 on the open market.
According to the Texas Ethics Commission:
A gift is illegal if it makes the lobbyist’s total expenditures for gifts to a particular state officer or employee, or immediate family or guest invited by a state officer or employee, exceed $500 in that calendar year.
Also, via the TEC, it appears King should have reported the gift on his personal financial statement:
Food, Entertainment, Transportation, & Lodging: Benefits in the form of food, lodging, transportation, or entertainment are permissible if accepted as a “guest” and reported in accordance with any applicable reporting requirement. To accept something as a guest, the donor must be present. As to reporting requirements, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor and members of the legislature are required to file annual personal financial statements on which they must report certain gifts worth more than $250. For most state employees there is no applicable reporting requirement.
King, of course, is far too close to the utility companies he works to regulate. Tonight, for example, he’ll have a fund-raiser hosted at Rozzell’s $1.2 million Houston home.
King faces former Weatherford Mayor Joe Tison in the March 4 GOP Primary.
King has a pattern of being far too close to utility companies:
King also drew criticism in 2005 for a celebratory dinner for the members of his regulated industries committee at the home of a powerful lobbyist whose clients include AT&T and FPL Energy — each with business before King’s house committee. Catering was courtesy of telecommunications companies SBC and Grande Communications, also with business before the committee.
King raised eyebrows last year when he enlisted the support of a powerful industry group to lobby his state colleagues on behalf of two bills that were then being criticized by consumer groups.
In each case, King said that the criticism was unwarranted and that he remains independent. He said industry supports him because of his commitment to free-market principles and to improving the business climate in Texas.
Rozzell, the CenterPoint vice president, said the company doesn’t expect any special treatment from King.
It doesn’t matter if you say you don’t “expect” special treatment from King. What matters is that you don’t hand out free Super Bowl tickets and lavish parties unless you do expect special treatment. And clearly, in the case of King, utilities are getting special treatment thanks to their payola.
Written by Vince Leibowitz
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