Shawn Womack legislation to help Mike Huckabee’s jet service provider, the Lord’s Ranch, and other residential mental health facilities make zillions more in government reimbursements came out of committee this morning.

Of course Ted Suhl of the Lord’s Ranch and related parties had sown the committee with money to reap this harvest. In recent election cycles, he’s given at least $1,500 to sponsor Womack, $1,500 to committee member Barbara Horn and $2,000 to committee member Jack Critcher, plus thousands more to other bill sponsors and potential key votes in the House, all these figures from followthemoney.org

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Need legal support? Suhl pumped thousands into Dustin McDaniel’s race for attorney general.

By our previous tally, he spent something like $100,000 alone in 2004 to grease up the legislature. Much of that salubrious effort lingers. He cut things back in the 2006 cycle, to a paltry $30,000. Doesn’t seem to have hurt much.

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As with Wal-Mart, a relatively small sum goes a long way for Suhl who pulls down millions in reimbursements every year, largely out of view of state inspectors and absolutely closed off to outside reporters.

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