Texans are all too familiar with the outsized role money plays in politics these days. Political action committees (PACs), lobbyists and special interest groups dole out huge sums of campaign cash to get what they want from elected officials. Politicians rake in this money to further their careers, special interests get what they pay for, and too often the public ends up losing. After just five years in office, State Representative Ron Simmons (R-Carrollton) has become very skilled at playing the political money game.
In just the first six months of this year, Simmons has taken more than $33,000 from PACs, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission. And in the five years since first running for the Texas House in 2013, Simmons has received nearly $600,000 from special interests. Tens of thousands of those funds come from real estate, telecommunications, and construction industries.
Most Texans can’t afford to contribute thousands of dollars to politicians like these groups do. And when these special interests give money, they expect a return on their investment. Ron Simmons has not disappointed them.
- Simmons voted against HB 63, which prohibits texting while driving.
- Simmons voted in favor of HB 1449, which limits a local government’s ability to regulate new construction.
- Simmons also voted against energy efficiency standards in Texas, which save consumers money, by creating hurdles for cities to adopt stronger building codes with HB 1736.
Who is Ron Simmons working for – his campaign contributors, or the people he is supposed to represent?
