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 nearly a decade in office, State Representative Jose M. Lozano (R-Kingsville) has become very skilled at playing the political money game
As Reform Austin has previously written, Lozano has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in special interest campaign money in just the last few years. In return, Lozano has voted in favor of their agenda. He voted for HB 1449, removing linkage fees which pay for affordable housing projects. He also voted in favor of HB 1774, which created hurdles for Texans to receive money from their insurance company for damages caused by natural disasters. This vote especially shocking, given that his Coastal Bend district is particularly vulnerable to hurricanes.
Who does Jose Lozano serve – his campaign contributors, or the people he is supposed to represent?