Todd Smith is not only a political consultant in Texas but also one of the top paid lobbyists in the state.
In fact, Transparency USA estimates that Todd M. Smith is the sixth highest-paid lobbyist in Texas, making an estimated $5,169,999 from lobbying in the past two years. A portion of the revenue is taxpayer-funded. Most of the revenue, however, comes from representing conservative organizations, industrial groups, and other entities.
The interests Smith lobbies for use his services through his two firms: Impact Texas Communications and Todd Smith & Associates. Outside of lobbying, Smith is also known for being the longtime political consultant for Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.
Transparency USA reports that 3 percent of Smith’s lobbying income was supported by taxpayers. The entirety of taxpayer funding came from the City of Stephenville. As lobbyists report their earnings within a range, Transparency USA reports that Stephenville paid between $50,000 and $99,999.98.
Beyond representing the City of Stephenville as a lobbyist, Smith also lobbied for a number of conservative entities, including Tea Party groups, Texans for Traditional Marriage, and the Lone Star Patriot PAC.
In addition to lobbying for conservative organizations, Smith’s firm, Impact Texas Communications, represented the interests of hemp suppliers. This included Green Grow Farms Texas LLC and Hempliance. Smith lobbied for these groups amid the 2019 legislative session. During the session, House Bill 1325 passed, allowing for the farming of industrial hemp, with the support of Commissioner Sid Miller.
The Texas Department of Agriculture’s website detailed Miller’s remarks as he issued the first Texas industrial hemp license in April of 2020: “License [#1] is just the beginning for industrial hemp in Texas,” Miller said. “Hemp offers Texas farmers a great new opportunity, but I want them to understand that with every promise of high profit comes the reality of high risk. My job was to get this program started. It’s now up to farmers and processors to build that Texas ‘hempire.’”
Along with his support for Sid Miller, Smith’s standing with the Republican Party can be witnessed in his decades of donations to Republican candidates. Most recently, he made monthly contributions to John Cornyn’s campaign throughout 2020.
More information on Smith’s clients can be found at Transparency USA.
This article is part of a series of profiles on Texas’ highest-paid lobbyists by Texas Scorecard.
