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Tuesday, July 29, 1997

Report: Bullock likely to donate remaining campaign funds to universities

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock likely will donate the rest of his multimillion-dollar campaign war chest to Texas universities when he leaves office in January 1999, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Monday.

Bullock, 68, announced last month that he will not seek a third term in the state's second-highest elective office. The lifelong Democrat still had at least $2.85 million in his campaign coffers at the time, according to records on file at the Texas Ethics Commission.

According to state law, officeholders may not keep unspent campaign donations. They may return the money to donors, give it to other candidates or give it to charities or schools.

In an interview last week, Bullock told the newspaper he was reluctant to discuss his plans for the money, but he conceded that he has deep affection for Texas Tech and Baylor universities, both of which he attended.

Whoever ends up with the money, there will be no strings attached, Bullock said.

"I don't want it given to be called the Bob Bullock Fund or the Bob Bullock Chair, or all of that," Bullock said.

"I want to make sure that they can use it as they want to use it. ... I don't want to sound corny, but this state has provided me with so much, and I have had every honor you can give an individual."

Bullock's campaign finance disclosure reports show that his political organization has raised about $14.4 million and spent just over $11.5 million since Bullock took office in 1991.

State law requires candidates and officeholders to dispose of unspent campaign contributions six years after either leaving office or filing a final disclosure report with the ethics commission.

Saralee Tiede, an aide to Bullock's predecessor, Bill Hobby, said that after her boss left office in 1991 he gave his unspent campaign money to political allies and charitable causes.

Last year, Hobby closed his account by turning over more than $700,000 toward the effort to rebuild Houston's performing arts center.

Like Bullock, Hobby was a successful fund-raiser and generally had an easy time winning elections. Therefore, he left office with a well-stocked war chest.

Bryan Eppstein, a Fort Worth political consultant who has done work for Bullock, predicted that the lieutenant governor will take his time disposing of the funds.

"The law gives him six years to parcel it out, and I suspect he'll take the full six years," Eppstein said. "He's got a number of interests - charitable causes as well as political causes - that will probably benefit from his benevolence."Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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