Texas Legislator Builds Bi-Partisan Support for Campaign Finance Reform

Texas State Representative Pete Gallego (Flemming Fellow `96) found bi-partisan support to be the key to moving a progressive campaign finance reform bill (HB 4).

On an issue that usually sparks a drawn-out partisan debate in the Texas legislature, this year’s action was different because Gallego, Chair of the Democratic Caucus, and colleagues from both sides of the aisle presented it from the outset as a bi-partisan effort.

Gallego explains: “For the first time, we had a memo from members of both parties saying [campaign finance reform] was a good bill.”

HB 4 would require candidates to heighten their reporting of three kinds of contributions: soft money by PACs, contributions in the last nine days before election day and in-kind contributions. The bill would also require mail-in ballots to originate from the county clerk’s office rather than a political party.

Not only did Gallego tackle state-wide issues like campaign finance reform in the 1999 session, he also addressed issues important to his rural district—which includes two-thirds of the Texas-Mexico border and stretches from 220 miles southeast of El Paso to 185 miles southwest of Midland, both cities having the nearest malls and airports.

Among the 68 bills he introduced this year, HB 598 would provide relief from recent flood damage in his district by exempting taxes on building materials used to restore homes in disaster areas.

Gallego is the first Hispanic Representative to be elected from his mostly Hispanic border district. Of this “first” he says, “I am glad to have a high-visibility job which enables me to break stereotypes and work with all the communities in my district.”