Going into the 86th Legislature, Senate Members Have $30.9 Million Cash on Hand

(From left to right in order of greatest contributions maintained: John Whitmire, Kelly Hancock, Robert Nichols, Jane Nelson, Royce West)
Under Texas law, state elected officials are required to submit periodic financial disclosures. The latest campaign finance deadline was the semi-annual report due January 15, which covers the period from their last filing – from October 28 if they were on the November 2018 ballot; if not, from July 1 through December 31, 2018.
As Reform Austin has previously reported, Texas is one of 15 states to prohibit political fundraising during the legislative session. The Texas Ethics Commission’s “Moratorium on Contributions” prevents elected officials and related entities from raising money during the legislative session. The 2019 moratorium began on December 8, 2018 and ends on June 17, 2019, following the end of the 86th regular session.
The latest campaign finance filings include the final stretch of the 2018 campaign, as well as fundraising up until the day the moratorium begins.
In the interest of transparency for Texas taxpayers, we have compiled all maintained contributions for the 30 Senate members who filed finance reports to start the 86th Legislative Session.
At the time of this writing, one Senator, Borris Miles (D – Houston), has yet to file the latest campaign finance report with the Texas Ethics Commission. Reform Austin will update the table with the data from his filing when it gets uploaded to the Texas Ethics Commission website.
Collectively, Senate members have maintained over $30.9 million in contributions entering the regular session, led by the longest-serving member in the Senate, Sen. John Whitmire (D – Houston), who maintains $7.9 million.
Reform Austin will watch who gives money to whom and how political contributions may influence legislation during the 86th session.