[CFR-Announce] More: Oregonian article on need for campaign finance reform

[Dan Meek]

  Consumer bills wither amid a gantlet of pressures

*Oregon's attorney general scores few successes in efforts to protect 
customers from unscrupulous business practices *
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
JANIE HAR
*The Oregonian*

For at least a decade, the attorney general has tried to persuade 
lawmakers to pass a bill that would outlaw price gouging in the wake of 
a natural disaster or act of terrorism.

And every time, business interest groups such as Associated Oregon 
Industries and the Oregon Petroleum Association successfully blocked the 
proposals, saying there are legitimate reasons why prices might need to 
jump more than 20 percent.

Consumer-friendly bills often wither at the hands of pharmaceutical, 
insurance and other business groups. Their lobbyists generally argue the 
bills are overly broad, or too burdensome, for business to carry out. Of 
about two dozen proposals submitted by the attorney general this year, 
six or seven may become law, says Kevin Neely, a spokesman.

They likely will not include: Senate Bill 215, allowing the attorney 
general to review antitrust class-action settlements to make sure 
consumers -- and not lawyers -- benefit. Stuck in the House. House Bill 
2218, requiring telephone providers to give customers written contracts. 
It never made it out of the House. SB 210, alerting customers to secret 
deals between auto repair shops and insurers that limit the scope of 
service. Stuck in the Senate.

"More often than not, the consumer stuff has been tough," says Sen. Rick 
Metsger, D-Welches, who was chairman of the committee hearing many of 
those bills.

Metsger said he won 16 votes in the Senate to pass SB212, which would 
give the attorney general authority to go after unscrupulous debt 
collectors, despite lobbying by Jim Markee, who represents the Oregon 
Collectors Association. But its fate looks bleak in the House.

In an April 15 e-mail to House Speaker Karen Minnis' staff, Julie 
Brandis of Associated Oregon Industries called SB 212 "a really poopy 
bill" and suggested the State and Federal Affairs Committee would be a 
good home for it. That's where it sits still. "Oregon already has pretty 
good laws on debt collection and how debt collectors have to act," 
Brandis said.

Business lobbyists complain the attorney general makes no effort to work 
with them to create compromise proposals.

"But more often than not we find there's no middle ground," said Neely 
of the attorney general's staff. "Legislators have to make the decision 
between a pro-consumer position or the business community, and that's a 
very difficult decision to make."

Another bill, SB216, would have allowed the attorney general to take 
unclaimed money in class-action verdicts in which the defendant company 
is found liable. The money would go into the common school fund, and 
plaintiffs later could claim their share if they wanted. The bill died 
on the floor for want of votes.

Opposing the bill were two frequent visitors to legislative leaders: 
Brandis and Jim Gardner, whose clients include a coalition of drug 
companies, Microsoft and Philip Morris. Together, their groups spent 
nearly $580,000 on races last year.

Gardner said the bill would authorize an unconstitutional taking and 
distributed a letter signed by nearly two dozen lobbyists arguing it 
would make Oregon companies more vulnerable to lawsuits.

But he emphasized that campaign contributions have little effect on 
whether legislators agree with his point of view.

"The only power I have is the power to persuade," he said. "I like to 
think I'm occasionally, reasonably persuasive."

The price-gouging bill passed the Senate 24-5 in April. It's now in the 
House State and Federal Affairs Committee.

"We just think it's another political tool, for the attorney general or 
the governor, to bash the industry," said Paul Romain, lobbyist for the 
Oregon Petroleum Association.

Janie Har: 503-221-8213; janiehar at news.oregonian.com


©2005 The Oregonian


  HOW WE DID IT

Tuesday, July 05, 2005 *The Oregonian*

The Oregonian wanted to quantify how much influence top campaign donors 
have on the Oregon Legislature. Contributions: Reporters analyzed more 
than 25,000 contributions to the 2004 legislative campaigns to rank the 
largest donors. Meetings: Meeting calendars for the first four months of 
this year were obtained from legislative leaders under Oregon's public 
records law. Reporters tallied who met with them most often. Results: 
Legislation listed as the topic of those meetings was then tracked for 
success this session.

TOP DONORS Unions and industry groups contributed much of the $17 
million given to legislative campaigns last year in Oregon. Here are the 
top donors, according to reports filed with the state Elections 
Division: 1. Oregon Education Association, $722,891 2. Oregon Victory 
PAC, $500,000 3. Service Employees International Union Local 503, 
$429,173 4. Oregon Forest Industries Council, $343,605 5. Oregon Beer & 
Wine Distributors Association, $339,483 6. Oregon Restaurant 
Association, $325,019 7. Oregon Health Care Association, $317,394 8. 
Oregon Grocery Association, $304,218 9. Oregon Automobile Dealers 
Association, $227,489 10. Oregon Nurses Association, $193,000

WINING AND DINING

While legislators usually meet with lobbyists in the Capitol, they also 
gathered outside the building for meals and more than 50 receptions in 
the first four months of this year.

Here are examples of the outside-the-Capitol events listed in the 
appointment calendars of House Speaker Karen Minnis, R-Wood Village; 
Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem; House Majority Leader Wayne 
Scott, R-Canby; Senate Majority Leader Kate Brown, D-Portland; House 
Minority Leader Jeff Merkley, D-Portland; and Senate Minority Leader Ted 
Ferrioli, R-John Day. Unless noted otherwise, the events were in Salem:

Jan. 5: Courtney, Ferrioli and Scott, lunch meeting with business 
representatives at Associated Oregon Industries, across the street from 
the Capitol. Jan. 25: Merkley, breakfast with Oregon AFL-CIO President 
Tim Nesbitt at Mill Creek Restaurant, the first of twice-monthly Tuesday 
morning breakfasts. Jan. 25: Lobbyist Mark Nelson hosts lawmakers at his 
home for an Oregon Metals Industry Council reception. The council, which 
includes Boeing, ESCO, Gunderson, Oregon Steel Mills, Schnitzer Steel 
and Wah Chang, is one of his clients. Feb. 6: Scott, dinner at Portland 
City Grill with Paul Romain, a lobbyist whose clients include the Oregon 
Beer & Wine Distributors and the Oregon Greyhound Association. Feb. 10: 
Courtney, lunch with lobbyists Dave Barrows and Ted Hughes at j. james 
restaurant. Feb. 10: Minnis, dinner with lobbyists Larry and Kevin 
Campbell at Caruso's Italian Cafe in Keizer. The Campbells' clients 
include Associated Oregon Loggers, Oregon Lodging Association and Saif 
Corp. Feb. 13: Merkley, dinner with lobbyists Dave Barrows and Alan 
Tresidder, whose clients include Nike, at Tiger Woods Center in 
Beaverton. Feb. 17: Minnis, "Defending the Caveman" comedy show in 
Portland with Romain. Feb. 23: Ferrioli, dinner with lobbyist Larry 
Campbell at his condo in Keizer. Feb. 24: Scott, speech at Oregon 
Association of Realtors luncheon after getting ride from Realtors 
lobbyist. "Gary Oxley (gold Mercedes) will pick Wayne up at the State 
Street House Exit," Scott's calendar says. March 7: Brown and two other 
Democrats, dinner at Alessandro's Restaurant with three representatives 
of Diageo, the world's largest liquor distributor. April 20: Brown, 
dinner with Jon Chandler, Oregon Home Builders Association lobbyist. 
April 26: Minnis, dinner at Morton's Bistro Northwest with "AOI Group" 
(Associated Oregon Industries).


©2005 The Oregonian