State Lawmakers Accept Free Hornets Tickets From Lobbyists

Monday, July 31st 2006, 6:01 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- State records show lobbyists gave tickets to New Orleans Hornets basketball games in Oklahoma City to almost 50 state legislators during the past season, state records show.

The face value of the tickets given to legislators totaled about $5,700. Some legislators were given $130 floor seats at the Ford Center.

State Senator Harry Coates used lobbyist tickets to watch three Hornets games and the Seminole Republican says that he saw a lot of his colleagues down there.

State legislators who received the $130 Hornets tickets were Representative Marian Cooksey, an Edmond Republican; Representative David Braddock, an Altus Democrat; Representative Jabar Shumate, a Tulsa Democrat; Representative Joe Sweeden, a Pawhuska Democrat; and Senator Kathleen Wilcoxson, an Oklahoma City Republican.

Most of the Hornets tickets used by legislators came from lobbyists for telecommunications company AT&T.