Sunday, July 29, 2012

Lobbyists find ways to hide money spent wining, dining legislators at ALEC conferences

Usually about a dozen Missouri legislators, almost always Republican, attend the annual American Legislative Exchange Council conference where between wine tasting, sumptuous meals, golf, and other activities, they find the time to pick up ready-made bills on topics as diverse as Photo Voter ID, funneling public money to private schools, repealing Obamacare and Stand Your Ground.

 Some lobbyists, most likely with the blessing of the legislators, have managed to hide just how much they are spending to wine and dine our elected officials, but attributing the lobbying expenses to various groups.

 Though I have not been able to find any record of a Missouri Democrat and only a small group of Republicans attending the 2011 ALEC Conference last August in New Orleans, two lobbyists, Charles Simino, representing the Missouri Cable Telecommunications Association, and Tina Shannon, representing Ameren UE, said they were lobbying the entire General Assembly.

 Simino reported $400 for "dinner at Antoine's Restaurant and $846.43 for a "tour." Ms. Shannon spent $763.88 for meals.

 Other lobbyists, instead of attributing expenses to individual legislators, charged the House or Senate majority caucuses. Those claiming they gave gifts to the House Majority Caucus included the following:

 -John R. Sondag, AT&T, $1,440 for meals, $60 for the Missouri Chamber dinner, another $60 for the same event, and $44 for refreshments

 -Betsy Ledgerwood, Missouri Beverage Association, $75.72 for a meal at Court of Two Sistsrs Restaurant

 -Susan Henderson Moore, State Farm Insurance, a walking wine tour of New Orleans, $180

 -Tracy King, Missouri Chamber of Commerce, cocktail tour, $742

 -Caroline Hoover, Kansas City Power and Light, meal, $150

 Expenses charged to the Senate Majority Caucus included the following:

 -William A. Gamble, Missouri Beverage Association, Missouri Railroad Association, dinner reception, Antoine's Restaurant, $75

 -Betsy Ledgerwood, Missouri Railroad Association, meal, Court of Two Sisters Restaurant, $75.71

 -Tracy King, Missouri Chamber of Commerce, cocktail tour $182 

All in all, a total of $5,094.74.

 Those totals are in addition to the lobbyists who named the specific legislators who were the recipients of their gifts. Those legislators were named in the October 2, 2011, Turner Report. The following lobbyists' gifts were reported for individual legislators and their spouses:

-Rep. Darrell Pollock, R-Lebanon, received an $88 meal from Drue Duncan, Pfizer, and a $23.33 meal from Ashley Varner, National Rifle Association.
-Rep. Sandy Crawford, R-Buffalo, an $88 meal from Duncan
-Rep. Charlie Denison, R-Springfield, $88.41 meal from Duncan, and a $20.33 meal form Ms. Varner
-Rep. Bill Lant, R-Joplin- $88.41 meal from Duncan
-Rep. Caleb Jones, R-California- $45 meal from Heath Clarkston, RAI Services; $5, $120.41, and $11.49 meals from Duncan, $5 and $7 meals from Tracy King, Missouri Chamber of Commerce
-Shane Schoeller, R-Springfield- $23.33 meal from Ms. Varner
-Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem- $39 meal from Doug Galloway, Centurylink; $90 meal from Tracy King, Missouri Chamber of Commerce; and $25.25 meal from Ms. Varner, National Rifle Association
-Rep. Cole McNary, R-Chesterfield- $196 ALEC Golf Tournament outing from Heath Clarkston, RAI Services 
-Rep. Shelley Keeney, R-Marble Hill- $36 meal from Doug Galloway, Centurylink
-Rep. Tim Jones, R-Eureka- Jones had a $44 meal with Ms. Varner of the National Rifle Association, but reimbursed her for the cost.
-Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield- $45 meal from Heath Clarkston, RAI Services
-Rep. Sue Allen, R-Town and Country- $80 and $8 meals from Michael Gibbons, Peabody Energy
The Ethics Commission records also show that Duncan, the Pfizer lobbyist, and Ms. Varner, the NRA lobbyist, bought meals for legislators' wives.
Duncan bought meals for Mrs. Denison, Mrs. Pollock, and Mrs. Lant, while Ms. Varner paid for meals for Mrs. Denison, Mrs. Pollock, and Mrs. Schoeller.


A report issued in 2011 by Progress Missouri revealed the extent to which the business interests and organizations like the National Rifle Association are using ALEC to make things easier for legislators by handing them ready-made, cookie-cutter bills to advance their interests. The following passage is taken from a Progress Missouri news release:
A Progress Missouri investigation of the previously secret documents at ALECExposed.com finds that conservative legislators in Missouri were more than happy to turn over their legislating powers to these unaccountable corporate interests. Sen. Luann Ridgeway’s right-to-work-for-less law (SB1), championed by Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer, is a carbon copy of ALEC’s model, written behind closed doors as part of a national campaign to attack working families. ALEC takes full credit for 2010’s Proposition C, allegedly written by Sen. Jane Cunningham. Additionally, legislation ostensibly authored by House Leader Tim Jones and Rep. Scott Dieckhaus to privatize schools is actually taken directly from ALEC.
Jones, who will become Speaker of the House in January, passed along his lodging bill to his campaign contributors, according to his October 2011 campaign finance report, filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

 He stayed at the Marriott Hotel for $408.21. He also charged his contributors for his ALEC dues, a total of $325.

 Whether the contributors got their money's worth out of that is hard to tell, but one thing is for sure- Jones' campaign came out ahead.

 Ethics Commission documents indicate the American Legislative Exchange Council has made two contributions to Jones this year- $350 on June 21 and $1,071.39 on January 17.

 (More to come)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm reminded immediately of the famous poem by Walter Scott:

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave
When first we practise to deceive."

Of course, many lobbyists are old hands at the art of deception, having practiced (American spelling) the "craft" for years. Rick Nichols.

Anonymous said...

I find it interesting that our representatives around the country want to drug test those receiving benefits yet they seem to drink their way through their jobs. Maybe they should be given a breathalyzer test before they can enter the chamber to vote on anything. From the amount of money being spent they can only be a bunch of drunks which can be seen in their inability to address the right issues instead of the crap they come up with.