ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

TOM STRONG

WASHINGTON (AP)—Political action committees representing organized labor gave Illinois lawmakers more money during 1991-92 and the first six months of this year than any other type of industry or interest group, a study released Tuesday found.

Finance, insurance and real estate PACs have eclipsed labor in contributions to Illinois’ 22-member delegation from January through June, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Reps. Phil Crane, R-Mount Prospect, and Glenn Poshard, D-Marion, do not accept PAC money.

Labor’s strong financial support of Illinois Democrats helps explain the reluctance of some lawmakers to support the North American Free Trade Agreement pushed by President Clinton.

Among Illinois House Democrats, only Rep. Dan Rostenkowski and Mel Reynolds of Chicago, and Dick Durbin of Springfield voted in favor of the pact, which eliminates trade barriers among the United States, Mexico and Canada.

For seven Democrats who opposed NAFTA, labor accounted for the largest bloc of PAC contribution from 1991 through June 1993, the report found. It was the second highest total for Rep. Cardiss Collins, D-Chicago. The ninth ‘‘no’‘ vote came from Poshard.

Overall, PACs representing building trades, industrial unions, public sector unions and transportation unions gave $1,415,347 to Illinois lawmakers. Only $32,500 went to Republicans, who hold eight of the state’s 20 House seats. All voted in favor of NAFTA.

Second to labor PACs were PACs from the finance, insurance and real estate industries. They gave $1,231,599 to Illinois lawmakers.

That order was reversed when reviewing the first six months of this year: $217,175 from finance, insurance and real estate vs. $137,809 from labor.

The most PAC money for the entire period went to Rostenkowski, chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee: $1,113,628, with finance, insurance and real estate PACs contributing $349,198.

The center is a non-partisan research group that monitors campaign contributions to federal candidates.