K Street Insider: Lobbying —A return to basics

[jannikki]

K Street Insider: Lobbying —A return to basics
By Joel Jankowsky

Lobbyists all over Washington are scrambling. Year End Lobbying Reports were due this week, and now, lobbyists must “re-learn” the rules of their own game. The recent revisions of the House gift rules and the pendency of the larger package of lobbying and ethics reform measures have left many wondering what K Street will look like as we move forward. In my opinion, this is a time for lobbyists to return to basics.

The truth is that good lobbyists were successful before reform, and good lobbyists will continue to be successful post-reform. The question, of course, is, What makes a good lobbyist? I have the pleasure of serving on the board of directors of the Bryce Harlow Foundation, and Bryce Harlow is one of the best examples of excellence in lobbying that I have encountered in my 30-year lobbying career.

Harlow came to Washington in 1938 and was the first official congressional liaison for the White House. He went on to establish the first Washington corporate government affairs office for Procter & Gamble. He had a distinguished career in government service and corporate representation because he exemplified the five characteristics that he identified as critical to success.

The first characteristic is integrity. Harlow put it this way: “The coin of lobbying, as of politics, is trust. One’s word is one’s bond. Truth-telling and square-dealing are of paramount importance in this profession. If one lies, misrepresents, or even lets a misapprehension stand uncorrected — or if someone cuts corners too slyly — he/she is dead and gone, never to be resurrected, or even mourned.” This observation holds true for individuals and groups, across the board, without exception. Once a lobbyist loses credibility, it is almost certainly lost forever.

The second characteristic is a willingness to work hard. Lobbying is a very competitive system. Advocates on all sides of an issue are simultaneously trying to have their positions accepted. Since most policy issues tend to be very complex, it takes an enormous amount of work to convince policymakers to listen to your case, much less understand it and work toward its adoption. Harlow put it best when he said of lobbying that there is simply “no rest for the weary.”

The third characteristic is adaptability to change. Harlow understood that the subtle, as well as the bold, changes to the rules of the game create a fluid environment that demands equally constant modifications to a lobbying strategy. As he wrote, “No sooner does a ranking official profess to see merit in a company’s position than that official resigns, dies, gets transferred or fired, or is beaten in an election. The whole painstaking process of education and persuasion then has to be started from scratch with the official’s successor.” This phenomenon is even more true today due to factors such as term limits for certain leadership positions and committee and subcommittee chairmanships.

The fourth characteristic is humility and perspective. According to Harlow, “A Washington representative needs to recognize and accept the fact that whatever it is that he/she represents is more important than his/her own personality and atmospherics.” A member’s or staffer’s schedule is extremely demanding, something that is unappreciated by many outside Washington. A good lobbyist must have respect for the people and process. It is not about you as a lobbyist, it is about your case. Another gem from Harlow: “Never confuse yourself with your job. It may be important. You are not.”

The final characteristic is an understanding of the processes of government.

Good lobbyists need to have a firm grasp on the mechanics of government, or as Harlow said, “how the pieces fit together, how things get done.” A good lobbyist simply must take the time to read and comprehend the rules that govern operation of the governmental bodies and to understand the process of how decisions actually get made. Understanding the so-called “decision tree,” as well as the interplay of the various institutions’ rules, is critical to success in advocacy.

Dedication to these principles of good lobbying is important no matter what lobby rules and restrictions are in place at any given time. Maintaining integrity in the system on both an individual and institutional basis is the essential ingredient for the continued legitimacy — real or perceived — of good policymaking.

For a more complete discussion, see the author’s article “Lobbying and Lobby Reform: A Practitioner’s Viewpoint” in Extensions, Fall 2006, at www.ou.edu/special/albertctr/extensions/fall2006/jankowsky.pdf.

Joel Jankowsky chairs the Policy and Regulation practice at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.


www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/Business/021407_kstreet.html

[jannikki]

Limit lobbyists?: Absolute transparency



Saturday, February 17, 2007


After Democrats in Congress implemented new rules to fight the "culture of corruption," don't score it as a KO of the K Street lobbyists. No one has laid a glove on the influential heavy hitters.
In the last two months, the lobbyists' legal spending sprees to finance lawmakers' political fundraising committees include South Beach soirees in Miami, trips to Broadway shows such as "Mary Poppins" and travels to California to drink in the wine country.

There also were getaways for golf tournaments, to Disney World, hunting, fishing and rock concerts, reports The New York Times.

Each committee then can "pay" the tab for its respective congressman. That might be why Rep. Mary Bono, R-Calif., invited lobbyists to join her at a Who concert. (Two tickets: $2,500.) Maybe Ms. Bono's favorite band will play "Won't Get Fooled Again." It's the song with the lyrics, "Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss."

Instead of more loophole-closing -- further limiting the public's right to access its representatives by using representatives like lobbyists -- the public must demand unlimited and instantaneous information about every connection between politician and lobbyist.

Absolute transparency allows the citizen to be judge, jury and (if need be) executioner to stop a nod-nod, wink-wink culture that Democrats and Republicans promise to end while endlessly perpetuating it.


www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/archive/s_493587.html

[jannikki]

K Street firm bucks trend, raises revenue
By Jeffrey Young

Last year was a tough one for K Street, with many of the largest firms experiencing either lower lobbying revenues or slower growth compared to recent years, but one company bucked the trend by considerably boosting its receipts: Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.

The Denver-based law firm, known as Brownstein Hyatt & Farber until the finalization of its merger with the Las Vegas-based legal practice Schreck & Brignone this year, brought in $11.2 million in lobbying revenue in 2006, a remarkable 64.7 percent increase from 2005.

This growth propelled Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck into the elite ranks of firms with annual lobbying revenues higher than $10 million, a group that includes only about 25 lobbying shops.

The firm’s lobbying revenues have climbed more than 400 percent since Brownstein Hyatt & Farber accrued $2.2 million in 2000, according to figures from the Center for Responsive Politics.

Alfred Mottur, who was named managing partner of the Washington office in 2003 after three years at the firm, said that Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s 2006 performance was no surprise to them. Despite the firm’s extraordinary growth during a bad year for the lobbying industry, Mottur indicated that they view the progress as the result of planning and execution of their business strategy.

“We’ve sort of reached critical mass,” said Mottur, who came to Brownstein Hyatt & Farber from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld after a stint as senior counsel to then-Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman Fritz Hollings (D-S.C.).

Mottur said the growth was the product of cultivating ongoing relationships with clients along with an aggressive push to expand into new lines of business by hiring lobbyists with expertise and connections.

Brownstein Hyatt & Farber maintained a successful practice in areas such as telecommunications, media and appropriations, Mottur said, but has been intent on branching out while continuing to grow its ongoing lines of business. More than half of the firm’s existing clients have increased their retainers in the past several years, Mottur said.

“We’re always adding new areas,” Mottur said. The firm’s roster of principle lobbyists has doubled to 14 over the last three to four years while its stable of clients has grown from 34 to 51 since the beginning of 2004. Mottur cited the firm’s signings of Johnson & Johnson and U.S. Airways last year as illustrations of its entry into new sectors.

Among the lobbyists who have joined Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s lobbying practice since 2005, Mottur cited two who have had a significant impact.

Makan Delrahim joined the firm in the summer of 2005 from the Justice Department, where he was a deputy assistant attorney general in its antitrust division. Delrahim previously served as staff director and chief counsel to then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). Prior to joining Hatch’s staff, Delrahim worked for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the National Institutes of Health, as well as Patton Boggs.

Delrahim’s presence has enabled Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck to tap into the lucrative practice of lobbying on intellectual property, antitrust, competition and high-technology areas, Mottur said. The firm has since hired some of Delrahim’s former associates.

The firm bolstered its presence in the energy sector by bringing aboard Kyle Simpson early last year. Simpson left the lobbying shop he founded in 1998, Morgan Meguire, to join Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. Simpson held senior positions in the Department of Energy during the Clinton administration and has private-sector experience with energy companies.

Another vital component to Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s plans to expand its energy business was the relocation of Bruce Thompson from the firm’s Denver headquarters to its D.C. office. In addition to working for private energy companies, Thompson served as chief of staff to then-Rep. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who is now the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Although Mottur highlighted these personnel changes, he emphasized that the firm does not view its 2006 growth as purely the product of the hiring of additional lobbyists. Mottur estimated that even without the new lobbyists, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s lobbying revenues last year would have reached approximately $8 million.

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck also is employing a common business strategy for law firm-based lobbying practices in Washington by leveraging its government-relations services to attract clients for its legal services, and vice versa.

To that end, the firm announced last week that it has hired Alexander Dahl and James Flood as litigators attached to its D.C.-based lobbying practice. The two former federal prosecutors both have Senate Judiciary Committee experience: Dahl for Hatch and Flood for Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).

www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/Business/022107_firm.html

[jannikki]

Liberal Beachhead Established on K Street

By: Jeff Patch
February 26, 2007 03:01 PM EST


Campaign for America's Future moves in on K St., Noreen Nielsen and Toby Chaudhuri, at 1825 K St. in Washington, DC on Feb. 22, 2007. Photo by John Shinkle



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Three liberal outfits seeking to flex the power they hope to have in a Democratic-controlled Congress relocated this month to K Street, the boulevard of dreams for lobbyists and influence peddlers. The Campaign for America's Future, Progressive Majority Political Action Committee and the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center are moving into offices on the fourth floor of 1825 K St. NW; the latter two are leasing space from the former. They join two other progressive groups, Americans United for Change and USAction, in the building.

Robert Borosage, co-director of Campaign for America's Future, relishes the symbolic message sent by the move.

"We got a good price on the rent, so I don't want to pretend that we went out of our way to spend more money to be on K Street," he said, demurring on revealing the price for the 15,000 square feet of space for the three organizations. "The irony was that there's this small beachhead on K Street. The center of law firms.............. (more)

www.politico.com/news/stories/0207/2894.html

[jannikki]

February 27, 2007
THE K STREET PROJECT....In 2002 and 2003 the Washington press corps finally began taking note of the K Street Project, a Republican plan designed to cement their long-term hold on power. But coverage was sporadic and light. The first serious examination of the project and what it meant came in "Welcome to the Machine," a terrific cover story by Nick Confessore in the July 2003 issue of the Washington Monthly:

Over the last few years, Republicans have brought about a revolutionary change: They've begun to capture and, consequently, discipline K Street....The corporate lobbyists who once ran the show, loyal only to the parochial interests of their employer, are being replaced by party activists who are loyal first and foremost to the GOP. Through them, Republican leaders can now marshal armies of lobbyists, lawyers, and public relations experts -- not to mention enormous amounts of money -- to meet the party's goals. Ten years ago, according.....(more)

www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2007_02/010820.php

[jannikki]

Meyer Tapped for White House Lobby Job

By: Patrick O'Connor
February 27, 2007 01:39 PM EST


Dan Meyer, vice president of The Duberstein Group, has been tapped to replace Brian Conklin as the top House lobbyist in the White House, GOP lobbyists said Tuesday.

Meyer, who served as chief of staff to former Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., is very familiar with the House and many of its most prominent personalities, including Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, a once loyal Gingrich deputy whose relationship with the former speaker eventually frayed.

Meyer has been described as a buttoned-up, low-key adviser during his time on Capitol Hill and K Street. At Duberstein, he has work with a stable of prominent corporate clients, including Fannie Mae, General Motors, Time Warner and United Airlines.

Meyer’s new job is expected to be announced by the White House as early as this week, the lobbyists said. Conklin plans to leave the administration in March to join USAA, the behemoth..........(more)

www.politico.com/news/stories/0207/2914.html

[jannikki]

Lobbying law misses some K St. numbers
By Jim Snyder and Jeffrey Young

February includes an annual Washington ritual apart from the Presidents Day recess: the tallying of lobbying revenue totals. In the highly competitive world of K Street, firms anxiously await to see how they did in relation to their rivals.

But while firms act like ambitious law students checking class rank, some critics believe that the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), the law that defines what activities a firm must report annually to Congress, hasn’t kept pace with the industry’s evolution. Firms now have public relations, strategic consulting, grassroots and federal marketing arms — all of which have the potential to influence public officials, but which often take place outside the public eye.

“The Lobbying Disclosure Act is a good starting point to understand how much money is being spent,” said Alex Knott, a political editor at the Center for Public Integrity, which maintains several lobbying databases. “But there are huge amounts of money that don’t get reported.”

The firms themselves are sympathetic to complaints about the limitations of the...............(more)

www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/022807/lobbying.html

[jannikki]

K Street's Favorite Democrat
Ari Berman

In October 2005 Republican lobbyist Leo Giacometto hosted a NASCAR Fundraiser in Georgia. For $2,500 a pop donors received breakfast at the Ritz-Carlton and a day at Atlanta's famed Motor Speedway. Giacometto, a former chief of staff to Montana GOP Senator Conrad Burns--disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff's favorite senator--has been involved in a number of tawdry political scandals, raising questions about why any elected official would want to be associated with him. But the most interesting thing about his NASCAR party was the identity of the guest of honor: not a fellow Republican but the Democratic senator from his home state, Max Baucus. To Giacometto, Baucus, the ranking Democrat on the powerful Senate Finance Committee, was not a partisan adversary but a useful and valuable ally. "I believe that he's good for what I believe in," the lobbyist told the Billings Gazette.

Today, in the aftermath of the Democratic sweep of Congress, Baucus is still one of corporate America's favorite Democrats. As chair of the Finance Committee, he counts among his friends and political supporters a Who's Who of bankers, oilmen, ranchers, pharmaceutical lobbyists and Wall Street executives. He's particularly close to Montana's sole billionaire, industrialist Dennis Washington, a major donor to the Republican Party whose business interests Baucus has promoted......(more)

www.thenation.com/doc/20070319/berman

[jannikki]

Daily commentary on Montana politics, the Billings Gazette, and beyond...

Thursday, March 1, 2007
Max Baucus dogpile

Perhaps the most interesting item was that Baucus hit up 50 K-Street lobbyists to raise $100,000 each for his re-election campaign. Think about it -- that would be $5 million before the "Friends of Max Baucus" even get started with the rubber-chicken circuit. Now, we already know that Denny Rehberg -- his most dangerous opponent -- isn't running (even though Gazette polling in December put him and Baucus in a statistical tie in a hypothetical match-up.)

So why the desperate need for that kind of money -- and, no less, through the kind of activity that Montana voters recently found distasteful enough to kick out a 3 term Republican in favor of a Jon Tester?

Perhaps Baucus is afraid of that state House majority leader who carries a union card and wears a hard-hat, after all. Or perhaps he realizes (as did many Republicans during the last election) that the Tester campaign wrote the campaign ads against him: he's been in Washington too long, he's lost touch with Montana, and he took money from Abramoff..........(more)

montanaheadlines.blogspot.com/2007/03/max-baucus-dogpile.html

[jannikki]

A Lobbyists' Lobbyist
This guy (article below) must have a PHD - he certainly knows how to Pile it Higher and Deeper. Yep, to get where he's going he can't take the logic train, you can only get to places like this with, maybe pogo stick, I'm not sure. But he's a lobbyist for lobbyists. That's right, in today's complex world Lobbyists need Lobbyists to lobby for their own lobbying interests.

First let's review -
The first big blow to both Common Sense and Regular Americans was


Money Equals Free Speech.
Regular Joe translation: Money Talks, Bullchit Walks.

That was a decision by the Supreme Court which gave lobbyists and special interests the go ahead.
Now, this guy tells us that any limitations on, or oversight of, those Orgs (ones who anoint themselves "grassroots") is hurting US regular voiceless people. Read it if you can, but be sure you're near a hard surface - you may just need to bang your head on it.

Or, don't read it, but do scroll down to the end of the post for my insightful conclusion.

___________________________________________________________
Halliburton and Enron Critics Insist on Loopholes for These and Other
Corporations In Grassroots Legislation, says GrassrootsFreedom.com


Proponents of unconstitutional "grassroots" legislation targeted at the First Amendment rights of citizens and their voluntary associations are insisting on loopholes in the very same bill that would exempt disclosure by corporations and labor unions that mobilize untold millions of shareholders, officers, employees and members” on legislation and other policy matters.

"OMB Watch and certain others who blame corporations for corruption in Washington, actually raised money by pushing ethics reform -- and who helped make the names "Halliburton" and "Enron" synonymous with greed and corrupt influence in Washington -- are the very ones insisting on these corporate loopholes in legislation they not only support, but have written," said Mark Fitzgibbons of GrassrootsFreedom.com, who added, "These exemptions prove that the grassroots legislation was never about disclosure for the benefit of the general public, but is designed to actually protect large special interests and corrupt influence in Washington by limiting and even silencing many citizen-critics."

Nine Washington-insider organizations support amending the law regulating high-paid K Street lobbyists to include communications to the general public by voluntary citizen associations. These unconstitutional grassroots provisions were removed from the Senate lobbying reform bill, S. 1, before that bill was passed. The House of Representatives is now contemplating adding grassroots provisions to the lobbying reform legislation expected to be considered in that chamber. Fitzgibbons pointed out that, contrary to some misleading reports, the grassroots provisions do not even target so-called "Astroturf," corporate-created communications disguised as citizen associations. The proposals fail to even define that term, and expressly target First Amendment rights of citizens instead.

"Citizens are supposed to interact with each other, and individually or collectively express their will to Congress. The grassroots legislation will make it easier for Washington to impose its will on the people, which is the reverse of what our system of representative government is all about," said Fitzgibbons, who concluded, "Voluntary associations of citizens would be regulated, yet wealthy entities will freely spend literally hundreds of millions of.................(More)

thesidestreet.blogspot.com/2007/03/lobbyists-lobbyist.html

[jannikki]

March 02, 2007
Bad Baucus
There's no doubt that Joe Lieberman is the most loathsome Democrat on foreign policy issues. But unfairly little attention is paid to his domestic counterpart, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus. Thankfully, Ari Berman is picking up the slack:

A study last year by Public Citizen found that between 1999 and 2005 Baucus, along with former Senate majority leader Bill Frist, took in the most special-interest money of any senator. He tops the list of recipients from business PACs. And only three senators have more former staffers working as lobbyists on K Street (at least two dozen in Baucus's case). Now that he's chairman, "former aides of Baucus, in particular, have been in demand on K Street by companies that hope to limit damage to their business interests," reports Congressional Quarterly.[...]

In recent years Baucus has not been shy about reaching out to K Street for campaign contributions. In February 2005 he asked fifty lobbyists to raise $100,000 each for his 2008 re-election campaign. Two lobbyists who attended told CNN that they "have never gotten such an aggressive pitch from a senator." In 2006, as the Abramoff scandal heated up, Baucus removed lobbyist William Oldaker as treasurer of his PAC. But his longtime fundraiser, Shannon Finley, recently left to join.........(more)

ezraklein.typepad.com/blog/2007/03/bad_baucus.html

[jannikki]

Sometime during the K Street scandal that afflicted the former US Congress, the comment was made that American citizens had less influence on public policy decisions than the well-heeled influence peddlers. As The Sydney Morning Herald notes in its editorial, hence the long extract, lobbying works, and it seems to work better when ex-politicians are involved:

The West Australian Crime and Corruption Commission hearings, which began this whole affair, have shown how lobbying can influence government decisions. Three Labor ministers have been sacked because of their closeness to Mr Burke, who was able to gain access to cabinet discussions and control ministers’ votes. Mr Burke’s influence and ability to manipulate are extraordinary, and by no means all lobbyists are of the Brian Burke type. The electorate may not like it - indeed is rightly suspicious - but many companies employ former politicians or political staffers to present their case more effectively to governments. The number of former politicians who have stepped straight from public office into well-paid private employment as advisers on government relations shows that lobbying by former insiders works. Victoria is working on rules to regulate lobbyists’ contact with serving politicians so the process is more transparent. It is a worthwhile objective, but it may be defeated simply by the nature of lobbying itself. Lobbyists work by meeting and talking to people they already know. That is all. Talk is not easily regulated. In the end, the public has to rely on the ethics of politicians, and its own ability to detect malfeasance and punish it at the ballot box. A free and probing media can help, but nothing guarantees absolutely that lobbyists will not gain some unfair advantage.

And what the Herald fails to observe it that Rudd is in Opposition not Government. Ian Campbell was a minister, but I think it is a travesty for purely politically expedient reasons, rather than on principles of accountability, for him to be forced to resign. Nor is it clear to me, that Brian Burke has done anything wrong. It is interesting that the Herald trumpets the role of the media, but the lobbying of governments, seems..............(more)

wmmbb.wordpress.com/2007/03/04/arts-of-lobbying/

[jannikki]

blog.washingtonpost.com/citizen-k-street/

[jannikki]

Former Reid aide lobbies, attracts new biz and advises at Quinn Gillespie
By Roxana Tiron
March 06, 2007
For Kevin Kayes, Sen. Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) former chief counsel, the Senate was the center of the world. Now, as one of the top lobbyists for Quinn Gillespie & Associates, he’s on the perimeter of that hub — and he likes it that way.

Away from the Senate floor, Kayes stays tuned to the hum of Senate proceedings by watching the TV in his Spartan new office.

As a lobbyist, “you are not in the middle of the information flow anymore, so you really have to work to find out what is going on,” Kayes said in an interview at his office.

“Before, everyone called you and you organized your own schedule, and it is just the opposite now.”

The well-liked, longtime Senate aide will not have trouble getting anyone on the phone.

“There are few people in this town who are masters of both policy and process and Kevin Kayes is one of them,” said Michael Myers, staff director of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

“He just really knows the Senate, its traditions, its rhythms,” added Myers, who has known Kayes for about 10 years and has worked with him on pensions and competitiveness issues, among others.

Kayes, a 23-year veteran of Capitol Hill (with almost 20 years of that spent in the Senate), is quickly adjusting to his new role at Quinn & Gillespie.

In the past few months, he has been spending a lot of his time helping his firm grow and selling its services to potential new clients. He is banned from lobbying some leadership offices for a year.

“This is a unique place. It is one of the few firms that is truly bipartisan,” Kayes said.

“It is very collegial and people here tend to work as a team. In many ways it mirrors the environment on the Hill.”

As part of the Quinn Gillespie team, Kayes already has been able to share some victories, among them helping Delta Airlines thwart a merger with U.S. Airways.

Kayes is bracing for a lot of work in the energy and healthcare areas as well as on education, financial services and insurance issues and some major transportation and aviation-security bills.

“We represent a whole lot of people in all of those areas,” he said.

The firm’s clients include the Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association, National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, AT&T, Delta, NBC Universal, State Farm, DaimlerChrysler and EADS North America.

Kayes said he will spend the first part of this year advising clients on strategy.

“I will probably be asked to come and help in different ways at different times,” he added, acknowledging that in many ways he is a jack of all trades.

That may not come as a surprise as Kayes brings a solid and varied background to the table.

Kayes held what he calls “probably the three best jobs in the Senate.”

In 1987, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), then Senate majority leader, hired Kayes as the assistant parliamentarian. Thirteen years later, Kayes joined the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee as staff director and chief counsel.
For the last two years of his Senate career he joined the office of Reid, who became the minority leader.

Kayes joined with the understanding that no matter what happened in last year’s midterm elections he would finish a long Senate career and embark on a new endeavor.

Kayes got roped into Capitol Hill after his first job: working for Rep. Adam Benjamin Jr. (D-Ind.), who in the late 1970s chaired the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation.

Kayes had just graduated in 1978 from Indiana University and drove out to Washington not knowing exactly what he wanted to do.

He ended up working for Ralph Nader’s Public Citizen group for...(more)

thehill.com/business--lobby/former-reid-aide-lobbies-attracts-new-biz-and-advises-at-quinn-gillespie-2007-03-05.html

[jannikki]

New Math on Hill, Scramble on K Street



Some industries believe that pay-for pain is coming almost no matter what they do and are lobbying to soften the blow. That is the case with a popular plan that would require securities firms to provide to investors the original cost of stocks so that they can accurately calculate the capital gains taxes they owe on stocks they sell.

To minimize the hefty expense of finding and providing that data, lobbyists and experts for the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association have been talking to officials in Congress and the executive branch to urge a gradual phase-in. "Our goal is to make sure that any legislation is realistic, effective and executable," said SIFMA's Travis Larson.

Some industries began their effort to avoid becoming budgetary offsets even before the House formally adopted the pay-go system and the Senate accepted it informally in January.

The American Gas Association, which represents natural-gas utilities, said that it was disappointed last month when the White House suggested a pay-for that would reduce the value of write-offs for gas pipeline construction but that it was not shocked. Starting last year, the organization had anticipated that the subsidy might be vulnerable and began talking to lawmakers about maintaining it. "We're well positioned to prevent this from being overturned," said Richard D. Shelby, executive vice president of the association.

But no group is immune. "In a pay-as-you-go environment, pretty much anything that can be done quickly and generates a lot of money could be in play," said Dan Danner, executive vice president of the National Federation of Independent Business. "That's a real worry."

To read the complete article, go to:

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/12/AR2007031201579.html