A Democratic activist filed a complaint Tuesday accusing House Speaker Tom Craddick of violating a state law prohibiting the payment of dependent children with campaign donations.The twist is that Craddick's daughter, Christi, is a lawyer in her 30s -- well beyond the minor child that the law targeted -- who has been paid a six-figure sum by her father from his campaign donations.
However, John Cobarruvias, the Houston lawyer who filed the complaint, said the speaker violated the law because he supplied a substantial part, if not all, of Christi Craddick's annual income by paying her $625,000 from his campaign donations over the past six years.
Plus, Cobarruvias said Craddick has his daughter on state-paid insurance because of a 1997 law that allows parents to keep a "dependent child" on taxpayer-paid health insurance "until they marry -- regardless of age."
Most adult children are dropped from state health insurance during their 20s or when they are married and become independent. Christi Craddick is not married.
"He needs to give up one or the other," Cobarruvias said Tuesday of Craddick paying his daughter with supporters' donations and the state-paid health insurance.