No Money for a Cure over Last 60 years, but over $8.245 Million for Lobbyists in Only 6 Months
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Asbestos Bill Lobbying - Little Known as Senate Debates The current Lobbying Disclosure Act requires only twice a year reports to be filed by those lobbying the Legislature and Executive branches. The report for the last six months of 2005 will be filed later this month. As a result, there is no current information on the money moving right now on the lobbying effort relating to the Senate consideration of the asbestos trust fund bill. But we can get a clue from the filings for the first six months of 2005. For those six months, twenty-five lobbying firms reported receiving $8,245,000 for lobbying on the asbestos issue. Other funds may have been spent by the asbestos-related firms themselves, such as WR Grace, Owens-Corning, USG Corp., McDermott Corp., RPM Int'l., Dow Chemical, etc., as well as certain insurance companies. However, the Lobby Disclosure Act only requires a single dollar figure to be reported by each firm for their entire lobbying expenditures - regardless of the number of issues. There is no figure reported for just the asbestos issue. This also is the case with trade association lobbying expenditures. The Lobby Disclosure Act also does not require reporting of expenditures on grassroots activity or general public issue ads. Here are some of the lobby firms that reported asbestos lobbying in the first six months of 2005. Swidler Berlin LLP reported receiving $4,760,000 from the Asbestos Study Group. DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary reported receiving $420,000 from Equitas Limited. Baach Robinson & Lewis PLLC reported receiving $380,000 from Equitas Limited. Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP reported receiving $380,000, including $120,000 from their client the DII Industries LLC Asbestos PI Trust, $140,000 from the Fuller-Austin Asbestos Settlement Trust, and $120,000 from the Western Asbestos Settlement Trust. Williams & Jensen reported receiving $360,000 from Owens-Illinois. Wexler Walker Public Policy Associates reported receiving $160,000 from the Asbestos Study Group. The Office of Fred D. Thompson reported receiving $160,000 from Equitas Limited. Crowell & Moring LLP reported receiving $160,000 from Dupont. Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz reported receiving $160,000 from WR Grace. Alexander Strategy Group reported receiving $140,000 from the Asbestos Study Group. Kevin S. Mcuiness PLLC reported receiving $140,000 from the Asbestos Study Group. Quinn Gillespie & Assoc LLC reported receiving $140,000 from Equitas Limited. Palmetto Group reported receiving $130,000 from the Asbestos Study group. MLBA Services Inc. reported receiving $130,000 from Loews Corp. Fleishman Hillard Government Relations reported receiving $120,000, including $80,000 for the Coalition for Asbestos Reform and $40,000 from Riverstone Claims Management. Ickes & Enright Group Inc. reported receiving $100,000 from Equitas Limited. Clark Consulting Federal Policy Group reported receiving $100,000 from the Asbestos Study group. Clark & Weinstock reported receiving $80,000 from American International Group. Johnson Madigan Peck et al reported receiving $60,000 from ACE INA. Harbour Group reported receiving $60,000 from the Asbestos Study group. Cuneo Gilbert & Laduca reported receiving $40,000 from Belluck & Fox. Glover Park Group reported receiving $20,000 from the Asbestos Study Group. Whitmer & Worall reported receiving $20,000 from Kemp Partners. Blank Rome reported receiving $20,000 from Chiquita Brands Intl. McGuiness & Holch reported receiving less than $10,000 (estimated at $5,000) from the Asbestos Study Group. These firms, along with an additional fifteen firms that registered from July to December to lobby on this issue, may report even more spending for the last six months of 2005. The Nickles Group registered to lobby for the Common Interest Group. They also registered to lobby for American International Group. Thomas O'Brien registered to lobby for the Coalition for Asbestos Reform. Venable LLP registered to lobby for Delaware Street Capital. Navigant Consulting Group registered (effective 2/1/05) to lobby for Quadrangle Group LLC. Their registration was received on 8/18/05. They also registered (effective 2/1/05) to lobby for Cyrus Capital Partners. The registration was received on 8/18/05. They also registered (effective 3/1/05) to lobby for Ore Hill Partners. The registration was received on 8/18/05. They also registered (effective 5/1/05) to lobby for Plainfield Asset Management LLC. The registration was received on 8/18/05. They also registered (effective 4/1/05) to lobby for Para Advisors Inc. The registration was received on 8/18/05. Park Strategies LLC registered to lobby for Simmons & Cooper LLP. Brookway Group LLC registered to lobby for Park Strategies LLC. Brown Strategies Inc registered (effective 4/29/05) to lobby for Owens-Illinois. Their registration was received on 8/5/05. Hogan & Hartson LLP registered to lobby for Colfax Corp. Trammell & Company registered (effective 6/1/05) to lobby for Property Casualty Insurers Assn of America. The registration was received 8/23/05). McGuire Woods Consulting registered to lobby for Paulson & Co Inc. Dutko Worldwide Inc registered (effective 6/1/05) to lobby for Royal Indemnity Co. The registration was received 8/15/05. They also registered (effective 6/1) to lobby for York Capital Management. Mercury Public Affairs LLC registered to lobby for Fleishman Hillard Inc. Brown Rudnick LLP registered to lobby for St. Paul Travelers Cos. Inc. The Federalist Group LLC registered to lobby for Federal-Mogul Corp. Harter Secrest & Emery registered to lobby for Hopeman Brothers Inc. *** POSTED FEBRUARY 7, 2006 *** |