Leaders Of Kentucky's General ASSembly Put Out A "Come On Guys And Gals, The BROTHEL Is Open For Business" Sign For Lobbyists.
Check out the story here, or read excerpts below:
Leading lawmakers ask lobbyists to help fund convention
By Tom Loftus
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Senate President David Williams and House Speaker Greg Stumbo asked lobbyists and others last month to contribute as much as $75,000 apiece to help pay for the National Conference of State Legislatures’ annual meeting in Louisville this summer.
“The Summit is just around the corner, so now is the time to get involved,” Williams and Stumbo said in their letter, sent on March 23. “Please let us know your interest and sponsorship level as soon as possible.”
Tony Wilhoit, executive director of the Legislative Ethics Commission, said the solicitation is permissible under the ethics code for lawmakers so long as it is broad-based and most of the recipients are not lobbyists or the corporations and associations that employ them.
But Richard Beliles, chairman of Common Cause of Kentucky, said the “sponsorships sell access, the more you pay the more access you get. That access, I believe, will cost the general public in Kentucky.”
Some corporate lobbyists who received the letter declined comment. One lobbyist who got it, Terry Brooks, the executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, said his non-profit group will be unable to pay for a sponsorship.
“That level of sponsorships bears no reality to our budget,” Brooks said. “Business interests, the Chamber and the payday lobby may be able to afford this — groups like ours can’t. In the environment of today, the appearance of buying influence and the reality of buying influence both contribute to citizen cynicism about Frankfort.”
State ethics law prohibits lobbyists from making political contributions to candidates for the state legislature. And lawmakers are banned from targeting only lobbyists when soliciting contributions for causes other than their own campaigns.
A spokesman for Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, referred questions to Robert Sherman, director of the Legislative Research Commission.
Williams, R-Burkesville, did not respond to a message left with his spokeswoman. ...
Editor's comment: ... but this is Kentucky, isn't it, folks?!
Leading lawmakers ask lobbyists to help fund convention
By Tom Loftus
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Senate President David Williams and House Speaker Greg Stumbo asked lobbyists and others last month to contribute as much as $75,000 apiece to help pay for the National Conference of State Legislatures’ annual meeting in Louisville this summer.
“The Summit is just around the corner, so now is the time to get involved,” Williams and Stumbo said in their letter, sent on March 23. “Please let us know your interest and sponsorship level as soon as possible.”
Tony Wilhoit, executive director of the Legislative Ethics Commission, said the solicitation is permissible under the ethics code for lawmakers so long as it is broad-based and most of the recipients are not lobbyists or the corporations and associations that employ them.
But Richard Beliles, chairman of Common Cause of Kentucky, said the “sponsorships sell access, the more you pay the more access you get. That access, I believe, will cost the general public in Kentucky.”
Some corporate lobbyists who received the letter declined comment. One lobbyist who got it, Terry Brooks, the executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, said his non-profit group will be unable to pay for a sponsorship.
“That level of sponsorships bears no reality to our budget,” Brooks said. “Business interests, the Chamber and the payday lobby may be able to afford this — groups like ours can’t. In the environment of today, the appearance of buying influence and the reality of buying influence both contribute to citizen cynicism about Frankfort.”
State ethics law prohibits lobbyists from making political contributions to candidates for the state legislature. And lawmakers are banned from targeting only lobbyists when soliciting contributions for causes other than their own campaigns.
A spokesman for Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, referred questions to Robert Sherman, director of the Legislative Research Commission.
Williams, R-Burkesville, did not respond to a message left with his spokeswoman. ...
Editor's comment: ... but this is Kentucky, isn't it, folks?!
Labels: Keeping them honest, Kentucky politics
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 11:38 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home