Wining, dining lobbyist bill sent to full committee
An ethics subcommittee recommended Wednesday that the bill be sent to the full Senate State and Local Government Committee, but without a provision that prohibits lobbyists from working for contingency fees.
The rest of the bill would require a lobbyist to disclose by date, beneficiary, amount and any food or entertainment provided to members of the General Assembly.
Members of the subcommittee said they don’t have a problem with that portion of the bill, but didn’t like the idea of removing contingency fees, which is what lobbyists are paid if they’re able to pass legislation for a client.
Supporters of the bill believe such an incentive may cause a lobbyist to do something unethical or illegal, but opponents of the measure don’t think the contingency fee will make a difference.
“The reality is, if someone is up here making $500,000 on a client and they have a year to year contract, they’re going to want to pass it regardless,” said Sen. Tim Burchett, R-Knoxville, and a member of the subcommittee.
The panel suggested that a study committee look at the contingency fee provision over the summer, and possibly consider a cap.
“If they’re going to be a crook they’re going to be a crook, and that contingency fee is not going to bring them more into it,” Burchett said.
The bills aimed at lobbyists come after the General Assembly earlier passed a comprehensive reform law that applies to its members and local elected officials.
That bill requires lawmakers to disclose out-of-state consulting deals and explicitly bans consulting in-state for companies that do business with Tennessee.
On Tuesday, the House State and Local Government Committee passed an amendment on a bill by Rep. Frank Buck, D-Dowelltown, to require public disclosure of money spent by lobbyists in the state.
Committee Chairman Ulysses Jones Jr., however, questioned whether the proposed law is needed or wanted. He said legislators should make financial disclosures because they are elected, but questioned whether lobbyists should be held to similar public scrutiny.
In a House State and Government Subcommittee meeting earlier Tuesday, members deadlocked on a bill that would keep registered lobbyists from serving on many boards, such as state or local election commissions.
The tie vote killed the bill.
Dick Williams of Tennessee Common Cause, an advocacy group for ethics in government, said he expects some type of lobbyist bill to pass this year, it’s just a matter of “what the exact provisions are.”
“We’re mainly interested in trying to get enough disclosure so the public can have a handle on what kinds of money are being spent on lobbying,” Dick said, “It should be more than what is just given to legislators.”
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On the Net:
Read SB1251/HB1086 at http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/