Builder Perry gave $486,000 to 10 lawmakers on Sunset panel in past 8 years
Ten lawmakers who rejected a recommendation to abolish the state agency that helps shield home builders from consumer lawsuits have received at least a half million dollars in campaign contributions from builders since 2000. Most of the money — $486,000 — came from home builder Bob Perry of Houston. Another $22,050 was contributed by the Texas Association of Builders political action committee.Other builders may have donated individually, but none approximated the magnitude of Perry's contributions.

Court fight that symbolizes builders' political power drags on for Mansfield couple
Their story is simple: The Culls say Mr. Perry’s company built a defective house, with a broken foundation and cracked walls. When the company failed to fix it, the couple took their case to arbitration and won a $800,000 award. But Perry Homes refused to pay it, saying the couple had waived their legal rights to arbitration. The company lost in the lower courts, but eventually won in the Texas Supreme Court, which vacated the award and sent the case back to trial court.To some, the case has become symbolic of the disadvantage that an average homeowner faces in going up against a builder with deep pockets. After the Culls commenced their fight, Mr. Perry spearheaded creation of the Texas Residential Construction Commission, which required that all future homeowners seek relief there first before taking a homebuilder to court or arbitration. But the state Sunset Commission, which evaluates state agencies for effectiveness, may recommend that lawmakers abolish the construction commission — a staff report concluded that it is little more than a bureaucratic speed bump protecting homebuilders.

Homebuilder donates to '08 election
October 31st, 2008 Bob Perry of Perry Homes has become a political force to be reckoned with in the 2008 elections, and he's not even running for office. Instead, Perry has been donating money to various candidates... But Perry hasn’t only given funds to Davis.  This year, statewide, the homebuilder has given approximately $175,000 to Democrats, and $2.6 million dollars to Republicans and related committees. ..View video report

Tort Reformer Money Buy Votes for Texas House
How importnat is Williamson county Texas?  Diana Maldonado who is running for Williamson County State Rep. was featured in a Special Report: Williamson County Texas Two-Step.  Just yesterday Bob "The Builder" Perry gave $90,000 to join his wealthy Tort Reform friends who gave her opponent Bryan Daniel big bucks.  Daniel's campaign contributions went from $85,000 to $790,000... Tom Craddick - $225,000, Bob Perry - $90,000, Clayton Williams - $7,500.   See video report on Texas Politics October 17, 2008: Texas Politics and Defective Lennar Homes

Both District 34 candidates received money from Perry-supported political action committees
Bob Perry is the biggest campaign contributor in the country. And he's used to getting his way. Perry spend over $15 million to elect Republicans and millions more on lobbyists to protect his financial interests. Connie Scott took over $9,000 from Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the organization that Perry helped build with his own money. What does he want in return? The fact is, Connie Scott and her husband, Mike, have been scratching Bob Perry's back for years. Mike serves on the Statewide Committee of TLR, Perry's organization that gave money to his wife in the first place.9 Mike, working with TLR, and Connie, working with Bay Area Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, helped pass a law that stripped homebuyers of their rights

Houston Homebuilder Bob Perry Continues Reign as King of Dirty Politics
Defending his title as “King of Dirty Politics,” Houston homebuilder Bob Perry just bankrolled a racist ad attacking Democratic candidate Joel Redmond, who is battling Republican Ken Legler for an open House seat representing the Pasadena area...“Bob Perry previously has disavowed responsibility for the trash he buys,” said Texans for Public Justice Director Craig McDonald. “It’s time Bob Perry took personal responsibility for the hate-mongering, gay-bashing, and race-bating he sponsors."

Local 2 Investigates Texas' Top Political Donor
Gov. Rick Perry and the top statewide elected officials in Texas have more than just politics in common. When it comes to padding their political campaigns, one man gives them far more than any other donor. "Bob Perry's automatic checkbook raises the eyebrows of what used to be high-rollers in Texas," said Craig McDonald of Texans for Public Justice, a non-profit policy and research organization, which tracks the influence of money in Texas politics. "He (Perry) is just off the charts." Local 2 investigative reporter Amy Davis unmasked the top donor and explains why some say he's giving so much. While Perry's donations are legal and part of the public record, his critics claim his "off the chart" spending is buying influence and even political favors.

Bob Perry: building homes and candidacies
Nationally, Houston home builder Bob Perry is best known for contributing almost $4.5 million to the swift boat ad campaign that helped sink Democrat John Kerry's 2004 presidential bid.  In Texas, he remains a major money guy for numerous state officeholders, candidates and political committees, mostly — but not exclusively — Republican.  During the 13 months since the 2007 legislative session ended, he has given about $2.3 million to Texas candidates and causes, according to new filings with the Texas Ethics Commission. Housing starts may be down, but that amount keeps Perry at or near the top of the state's political donor list...Perry's largess, of course, also has helped advance his own interests, including the creation a few years ago of the Texas Residential Construction Commission to help protect home builders from lawsuits. And, more recently, his company won a major victory in a defective home case before the Texas Supreme Court, all nine of whose members have received campaign dollars from Perry. The victory was close though, with four of Perry's beneficiaries voting against him.

Editorial: More evidence for judicial reform
The couple, Bob and Jane Cull, sued Perry Homes in an effort to get the home builder to make repairs to their retirement home. The case has been mired in the judicial system since 2000. Before the trial the Culls sought arbitration to avoid an even more expensive and drawn out legal fight.  After the Culls were awarded $800,000 by the arbiter, the home builder took them to court claiming that the arbitration was handled improperly. A district court and an appeals court ruled against the home builder who appealed to the Supreme Court.

Dust in the Wind - Courting Favor
The lesson in the tale of Bob and Jane Cull—the North Texas homeowners who recently lost their politically charged case before the Texas Supreme Court—is don’t buy a home from the biggest campaign donor in the state. The Culls bought a $233,000 home in 1996. The house had severe structural and foundation problems, and the Culls have spent the past 11 years trying to recoup their losses from builder Perry Homes... The Culls initially filed suit against Perry Homes in state court. Just before trial, they changed their minds and opted for binding arbitration instead. The building industry usually prefers arbitration because builders usually win. In fact, the builder-dominated Texas Residential Construction Commission—the state regulatory agency that Perry helped create and on which Perry’s corporate attorney serves—implemented a set of rules designed to funnel housing disputes into arbitration. Arbitration hearings have become the place homeowner complaints go to die.  Read more...