Lobbyists May Pose Problem for Next Texas Speaker

State Rep. Tom Craddick, a Republican from Midland who is expected to be elected speaker of the Texas House of Representatives when it convenes in January, is being criticized by consumer groups on his choice of transition team members. The team, brought together to help Craddick move into the speaker’s job, includes two lobbyists with close ties to the insurance industry.

According to the Dallas Morning News, consumer groups consider the selection of the two lobbyists—Bill Miller, a paid spokesperson for Farmers Insurance Company, and Bill Messer, one of whose clients is State Farm Insurance Company—to pose a potential conflict of interest. Legislators are expected to consider a number of insurance-related bills in the coming session; dozens of insurance bills have already been filed and more are expected to follow.

Representatives from groups such as Common Cause of Texas and Public Citizen have called for Craddick to ban the transition team and others in his administration from lobbying his office after they are no longer employed by him.