The Lone Star Project

Craddick Supports State Health Care Plan - For Daughter
Speaker approved special health care bill to cover well-paid daughter

Embattled Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick is cynically encouraging critical news reports and investigations about Members of the Legislature who compensate some employees by making health care coverage available to them. Last week, Craddick said "If some legislators are paying employees with taxpayer dollars who are performing little or no work, that is an egregious misuse of state money." (Austin American-Statesman, May 02, 2008)

Tom Craddick did not acknowledge, however, that he personally supported and helped pass special legislation providing health care coverage to his adult daughter Christi Craddick, even though Christi makes hundreds of thousands of dollars working for her father’s political operations and provides no service to the State of Texas.

As Speaker, Tom Craddick is ultimately responsible for administering and enforcing the rules of the House. It is his job to appoint competent colleagues to the Committee on House Administration and provide Members accurate information on employee health care eligibility. Clearly, the same Speaker who worked to deny health care coverage to hundreds of thousands of children, failed in his responsibility to manage the House properly. (Fort Worth Star Telegram, January 25, 2005) Rather than take responsibility for his failure, he is lashing out at his political enemies.

Craddick’s political operative daughter given State benefits

Salary Payments to Christi L. Craddick & "Direct Contacts"

Year

Craddick Campaign

Stars Over Texas

Total

2003

$98,000

$0

$98,000

2004

$91,770

$45,000

$136,770

2005

$108,598

$20,000

$128,598

2006

$108,546

$30,000

$138,546

2007

$133,075

$30,000

$163,075

Total

$539,988

$125,000

$664,988

Source: Texas Ethics Commission
"Direct Contacts" is Christi Craddick's Consulting Firm

Over the last five years, Republican Speaker Tom Craddick’s 37 year old adult daughter, Christi, has made well over one half million dollars as a political operative for Craddick’s re-election campaign committee and his PAC, Stars Over Texas. Since 2003, Christi Craddick has been paid more than $650,000 from the two groups. During all or part of this time, Christi Craddick was also provided access to health insurance from the State of Texas.

The "Christi Craddick" Bill
Christi Craddick was eligible for State coverage only because of a special bill supported by Tom Craddick and approved by the Legislature to allow continued access to state health insurance for adult children (over the age of 25) of state employees. (Senate Bill 1102) Sheila Beckett, former executive director of the Employees Retirement System of Texas, acknowledged that Craddick, "initiated it," and she, "was assuming he was concerned about the continuing insurance coverage for his daughter." (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, December 5, 2002) The bill allowed Christi Craddick to remain enrolled in the State Employee health care plan not only beyond her 25th birthday, but into perpetuity.

Tom Craddick himself is a multi-millionaire businessman. (Texas Observer, April 18, 2008) Despite the Speaker’s deep pockets and even though Christi Craddick was being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars from special interest lobbyists and from Tom’s political committee, she was still allowed to benefit from the favorable state health insurance pool.

Craddick appointees approved Member payrolls
Throughout Craddick's service as speaker, Member payroll requests for both full-time and part-time employees were approved by Craddick appointees. Craddick personally appointed the current Chairman and other Members of the House Administration Committee who provide oversight of House Member expenditures and approve State House payrolls. (Texas Legislature Online)

Tony Goolsby - Craddick crony and Administration Committee Chair
Goolsby is a long serving but low profile back bench Member who has few legislative accomplishments. As Chair of the Committee on House Administration, Goolsby is responsible for reviewing and approving Member payroll. If some employees were improperly receiving health care coverage, it was Tony Goolsby and members of the House Administration Committeewho failed in their oversight responsibility. And, by his inaction, he encouraged Members to continue the practice.