The ALEC Lobbyist Con Game

As your state ALEC legislator is packing their bags to be wined and dined in Salt Lake City the end of this week - you should be thinking about who will be influencing YOUR legislator while they are in Salt Lake City.  We KNOW that ALEC meetings are NOT a place where state legislators get together to talk about state politics.  We know that!!!!

It is very interesting to me how ALEC steps away from the lobbying issue.

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has quite the lobbying shell game going on. It’s kind of like a hide the lobbyist wiener game on the public. And the public is who is getting screwed.

• ALEC takes money from corporations.
• ALEC uses that money given to them by the corporations to bring corporate lobbyists representatives together with state legislators for multiple days in secret meetings.
• ALEC’s invited corporate lobbyists representatives pay for ALEC to continue to exist – they are the main source of revenue for ALEC.
• ALEC’s invited corporate lobbyists representatives wine and dine state legislators in secret meetings and parties.

Some have referred to it as a dating service.

I prefer the phrase escort service – and the public is getting screwed.

I took a look at the documents on the common cause site and decided to pick the  Commerce, Insurance, & Economic Development Task Force As of 6/29/2011 – because we the consumer are getting screwed by these folks.  The fact that some of these corporations have "supposedly" quit ALEC - isn't the point - the mix will remain the same.

I pulled the ALEC Corporate Profit Sector members from this task force and only the alpha letters A – L.  I didn’t need to go any further than that – because the picture became very clear to me and it will be very clear to you – with a few surprises.

Here are the first half of the Corporate Profit Sector members who sit on the Commerce, Insurance, & Economic Development Task Force As of 6/29/2011.

Rebecca Adler

Private Sector Member (Info)

Community Financial Services Association

Was a registered lobbyist in 2003 working for Strat@Comm on behalf of ALEC Profit Sector member Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, Inc.

In an editorial she wrote in the Baltimore Sun in November 2010 she said this:

The problem is that a few states have passed legislation capping the annual interest rates on payday loans at 36 percent APR, which forces lenders to close their stores and leave consumers with fewer credit options. Even legitimate payday lending companies cannot operate under such low rate caps because payday loans are two-week loans and cannot be offered at the same APRs as annual credit products.

Neil Alldredge

Private Sector Member (M1)

State Relations Manager

National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies

He is the guy who is responsible for hiring and paying lobbyists that work for National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies – the lobbyists report to him.

Jenn Aument

Private Sector Member (M1)

Manager Public Affairs

Transurban

Jennifer Aument, a registered lobbyist and a vice president for Transurban USA Inc. in Alexandria, an international toll road operator and investor.

Alexis Barrios

Private Sector Member (M1)

Government Affairs Specialist

American Insurance Association

The American Insurance Association is an insurance industry trade association representing about 300 insurance companies that provide property insurance and/or casualty insurance in the United States.[wiki]

Dan Beres

Private Sector Member (M2)

Southern VP

MV VeriSol

MV VeriSol Vehicle Insurance Verification (VIV) system provides law enforcement and MV administrators with instant, up-to-date, online real-time auto insurance verification directly by insurance companies without keying additional information

Mark Bordas

Private Sector Member (M1)

Region Vice President, State Affairs (Central)

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.

Registered Lobbyist for Anheuser-Busch in Texas

Holly Borgmann

Private Sector Member (M1)

Kraft Foods, Inc.

Jon Burton

Private Sector Member (M2)

Senior Director, State Government & Industry Affairs

Reed Elsevier

Registered lobbyist in the State of Minnesota for Lexis-Nexis.

William Carmichael

Private Sector Member (M2)

Director

American Bail Coalition

2012 employer principal  Lobbyist Registration List for American Surety - in Indiana

David Christman

Private Sector Member (M1)

Director, State & Industry Affairs

National Beer Wholesalers Assoc.

Registered lobbyist – opensecrets.org 2007 – National Beer Wholesalers

Meredith Cipriano

Private Sector Member (M1)

Manager, Government Relations

Western Union

Registered lobbyist – as reported to the US Senate

James Clark  (aka Jamie Clark – from Minnesota, ugh!)

Private Sector Member (M1)

Director, Grassroots Advocacy & State Issues

American Bankers Association

Jamie Clark is an experienced lobbyist. (The Center for Responsive Politics’ Open Secrets lobbyist database has an entry for “James Clark,” who is listed as having been a lobbyist for ABA since 2006.)[5]

Pierce Coffee

Private Sector Member (Info)

Transurban

Transurban is a leading international toll road developer and investor with major assets in Australia and emerging interests in North America.

Lynn Coard

Private Sector Member (M1)

Director, State Advocacy

Credit Union National Association, Inc.

Sean Collins

Private Sector Member (M1)

District Director, State Government Affairs

Altria Client Services

Period: 2008-2009  - State of VA

Sean Collins registered to lobby on behalf of the following clients:  • US Tobacco

In November, Olens was the beneficiary of such spending. Lobbyist Sean Collins works for Altria, parent company of tobacco giant Philip Morris.

Collins' November disclosure on the state ethics commission site shows that he spent $1304.54 for "corporate air travel and ground transportation" for Olens' visit to Palm Beach in November. Olens was there to attend the Republican Attorneys General Association meeting.

Edward K. Conklin

Private Sector Member (M1)

Senior Director, Government Relations

McDonald's Corporation

From slide 13 of a PowerPoint presentation by Mr Conklin

Edward K. Conklin said about the McDonalds Government Relations (GR) Team

             Thou shalt not

             Forget that the GR Team are expert lobbyists too.

                    

Andy Conlin

Private Sector Member (M1)

State Affairs Coordinator, Government Affairs

Associated Builders & Contractors

Amanda Conochalla

Private Sector Member (M2)

Director, Government Relations, Central Division

McDonald's Corporation

Registered lobbyist – in Cook County

Derek L. Crawford

Private Sector Member (M2)

Director, State and Local Government Affairs

Kraft Foods, Inc.

Registered lobbyist in Illinois

Registered lobbyist for Miller Brewing - 2001in Ohio

Robert Detlefsen

Private Sector Member (M2)

Director of Public Policy

National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies

Osjha Domenicone

Private Sector Member (M1)

Director of Government Affairs & Corp. Counsel

LoanMax

This guy hires lobbyists for a company named: Select Management Resources LLC and is registered in Virginia.

Select Management Resources trades under the name of “LoanMax” and operates a loan office providing loans on automobile titles

Travis Doster

Private Sector Member (M1)

Director of Public Relations

Texas Roadhouse

Bruce Ferguson

Private Sector Member (M2)

Senior Vice President, State Relations

American Council of Life Insurers

Hires and supervises lobbyists as a lobbyist principal for American Council of Life Insurers as shown in documents in Tennessee and Nebraska

Troy Flanagan

Private Sector Member (M2)

Partner

Parquet Public Affairs

Past lobbyist for Conagra Foods, and the International Franchise Association,

Parquet Public Affairs is registered principal lobbyist in NC

David Foy

Private Sector Member (M1)

Director, State Government Affairs

Reed Elsevier Inc.

Registered lobbyist in Texas for Reed Elsevier Inc.

Leonard Gilroy

Private Sector Member (M2)

Director of Government Reform

Reason Foundation

Matthew Glans

Private Sector Member (M2)

Heartland Institute

Eric Goldberg

Private Sector Member (M2)

Associate General Counsel & Manager, State Program

American Insurance Association

Registered lobbyist in District of Columbia for American Insurance Association

Pamela D. Gorman

Private Sector Member (M1)

Sr. Mgr, Legislative Policy & Advocacy

Reynolds American Inc.

Past ALEC legislator in the State of Arizona..

Steve Gross

Private Sector Member (M2)

State Relations Director

Wine Institute

Registered Lobbyist in the state of Massachusetts for Wine Institute

Kristie A. Helmick

Private Sector Member (M2)

Transurban

Transurban is a leading international toll road developer and investor with major assets in Australia and emerging interests in North America.

Registered Lobbyist – State of Virginia

Kristie Helmick registered to lobby on behalf of the following clients:

•National Fed of Independent Business (NFIB)

From her LinkedIn page

Lobbyist at The Family Foundation of Virginia

Dawson Hobbs

Private Sector Member (M1)

Vice President, State Affairs

Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America

Past registered lobbyist in the state of Minnesota and Kentucky for the NRA

Registered lobbyist for Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America on opensecrets.org

Kelly Hobbs

Private Sector Member (M2)

Vice President of State Governmental Affairs

Bank of America

Registered Lobbyist in West Virginia for Bank of America

Robert Hunt

Private Sector Member (M1)

Regional Government Affairs

MillerCoors

Registered lobbyist in Texas for MillerCoors

Thom Iles

Private Sector Member (M1)

Director, State Public Affairs

John Deere & Company

Registered lobbyist for John Deer in Iowa in 2009

Holly M. Jackson

Private Sector Member (Info)

Director of Development

Grover Norquist’s - Americans for Tax Reform

Sally Jefferson

Private Sector Member (M1)

Vice President, State Government Affairs

Wine Institute

Registered lobbyist in the state of Illinois for Wine Institute

Teresa Jennings

Private Sector Member (Info)

Managing Director, State Government Affairs

Reed Elsevier Inc.

Registered lobbyist in the state of Massachusetts for Reed Elsevier Inc.

Tom Jones

Private Sector Member (M1)

General Motors Corp.

Registered lobbyist in the state of Texas for General Motors Corp and AT&T

Bradley Kading

Private Sector Member (M1)

President and Executive Director

The Association of Bermuda Insurers & Reinsurers  (aka ABIR)

This is a little bit of interesting that needs further investigation:

It's interesting to note that Wanda doesn't make very many campaign contributions but she does make the max to George Butterfield. In 2007 Gregory Slayton, Arthur Collins, Bradley Kading and half a dozen Bermuda insurance/reinsurance CEO's suddenly made campaign contributions to George Butterfield. Arthur Collins is the lobbyist for Bermuda and was involved with the Uighurs deal. Bradley Kading is CEO, etc. of ABIR/Association of Bermuda Insurance Reinsurance a lobbyist too. ABIR has made campaign donations since 2006 in excess of $4M and Kading's personal campaign donations are well into five figures. Collins, Kading and Henton are still supporting Butterfield with donations. Looking at Butterfield's position I wouldn't think he has much to offer these three politically. Hmmmm!

If this is true – I wonder how much he is donating at the Koch brothers soirees to overthrow the American government.

Mike Komaschka

Private Sector Member (M2)

Director, State Gov't Affairs

Reynolds American Inc.

He is a lobbyist – outed by another RJR lobbyist in this report to the state of Massachusetts.

Registered lobbyist in the state of Minnesota working for Strategic Public Partners on behalf of Reynolds American Inc.

Kenneth F. Lane

Private Sector Member (M1)

Vice President, State Government Affairs

Diageo North America, Inc.

Past registered lobbyist for Phillip Morris

Registered as the principal contact for lobbyist representing Guinness

Matthew P. Lathrop

Private Sector Member (M1)

Director of Government Relations

YUM! Brands, Inc.

Registered principal hiring Capitol Advocacy LLC to lobby  in the State of California for Yum Brands

Eli Lehrer

Advisor

VP Washington, D.C. Operations & Director of CFIRE

The Heartland Institute

Peter Loughlin

Private Sector Member (M1)

Executive Director

AMOTIA

AMOTIA is a partnership of over 20 multinational transportation firms.

Past lobbyist for Koch Industries

Past lobbyist for the Associated General Contractors of America

Kevin M. Lundy

Private Sector Member (M2)

Director, Government Relations

YUM! Brands, Inc.

Registered lobbyist in the state of Massachusetts for Yum Brand

Past Registered lobbyist for Wendy’s in the state of Ohio