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The Sunlight Foundation uses cutting-edge technology and ideas to make government transparent and accountable. Underlying all of our efforts is a fundamental belief that increased transparency will improve the public's confidence in government
The Sunlight Foundation Blog
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Home Builders Seek Bailout Pie
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Home Builders lobby is ramping up their campaign for a section of the bailout pie.
Struggling U.S. auto makers left Washington empty-handed after weeks of pleading for a handout, but that hasn’t deterred home builders from stepping up to lobby Congress for help.
But any federal assistance would require policy makers to figure out how to stimulate demand for housing — the problem at the root of the global financial meltdown — without artificially propping up home values.
The builders’ lobby is ramping up its sales pitch for a $250 billion stimulus package called “Fix Housing First,” arguing that financial markets won’t recover until home prices stop falling. They are calling for a generous tax credit for home purchases and a federal subsidy that would lower a homeowner’s mortgage rate.
The Home Builders should be relatively welcome on Capitol Hill, their PAC, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), has spread around $1.7 million in contributions over the past two years. As has been explained before, PAC contributions are integral to formulating a working relationship with Congress. In fact, they appear a vital tool in obtaining bailout bucks. Total contributions from the Home Builder industry reach to $9.15 million for 2008.
Here’s a list of the top recipients of Home Builder dough in the House:
2008 Home Builder Contributions to the House Buchanan, Vernon (R-FL) $97,500 Neal, Richard E (D-MA) $38,900 Costa, Jim (D-CA) $37,298 Cantor, Eric (R-VA) $36,600 LaTourette, Steven C (R-OH) $32,800 Wolf, Frank R (R-VA) $32,300 Turner, Michael R (R-OH) $26,550 Neugebauer, Randy (R-TX) $25,450 Nunes, Devin Gerald (R-CA) $24,400 Klein, Ron (D-FL) $24,150 Tiberi, Patrick J (R-OH) $23,998 Paul, Ron (R-TX) $23,845 Davis, Geoff (R-KY) $23,750 Kirk, Mark (R-IL) $23,700 Mahoney, Tim (D-FL) $22,750 Feeney, Tom (R-FL) $22,500 Castle, Michael N (R-DE) $22,371 Pastor, Ed (D-AZ) $21,400 Chabot, Steve (R-OH) $21,300 Donnelly, Joe (D-IN) $21,300 Contributions in the Senate look like this:
2008 Home Builder Contributions to the Senate McCain, John (R) $489,238 Obama, Barack (D) $219,128 Clinton, Hillary (D-NY) $198,229 Cornyn, John (R-TX) $57,050 Reed, Jack (D-RI) $56,200 McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) $51,550 Coleman, Norm (R-MN) $49,800 Reid, Harry (D-NV) $44,100 Dole, Elizabeth (R-NC) $40,000 Sununu, John E (R-NH) $38,100 Chambliss, Saxby (R-GA) $37,450 Collins, Susan M (R-ME) $37,150 Graham, Lindsey (R-SC) $31,950 Biden, Joseph R Jr (D-DE) $30,900 Alexander, Lamar (R-TN) $28,000 Martinez, Mel (R-FL) $26,250 Lautenberg, Frank R (D-NJ) $19,950 Roberts, Pat (R-KS) $19,500 Hutchison, Kay Bailey (R-TX) $19,100 Specter, Arlen (R-PA) $18,600 The “Fix Housing First” campaign doesn’t end with the Home Builder industry – as represented in Washington by the NAHB. The lobbying campaign’s web site lists some other serious lobbying power houses as supporters including the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the Business Roundtable. For the year of 2008, the Home Builder industry, NAM, and the Business Roundtable have spent a combined $19.76 million on lobbying in Washington.
(All totals are based on data culled from Open Secrets.)
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New Lobbying Disclosure Rule Upheld
I don’t want to let this slip by.
The Hill reported on a U.S. District Court decision made on Friday that upheld a key provision of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (HLOGA). In February, the National Association of Manufacturers had filed suit challenging HLOGA’s disclosure provision requiring any organization actively participating "in the planning, supervision, or control" of lobbying efforts that ponies up more than $5,000 in a quarter to disclose their activities and expenditures. NAM argued that the disclosure clause is imprecise and impacts groups that it is not intended to target, and that it violates the First Amendment. They also said that they were worried that the law would also require it to disclose the names of its members.
In a 57-page opinion, Judge Kollar-Kotelly disagreed, saying the clause was "narrowly tailored to serve compelling government interests, and is neither vague on its face nor is applied to the NAM." You can read the judge’s opinion by following a link provided by the Campaign Legal Center. The court decision clears the way for the new law to force disclosure of such coalitions’ members to the public for the first time on April 21, according to The Hill.
The purpose of this section of the law is to shine a light on stealth lobbying and sham coalitions, pushing legislation such as those that are often promoted by groups like NAM.
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NAM Files Lawsuit Against Ethics Law
As the Legal Times‘ Influence Blog predicted yesterday, the new lobbying and ethics law received its first legal challenge. Earlier today, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) announced it is suing the federal government over the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 saying the law’s lobbying disclosure rules are "vague, overbroad and burdensome" and infringe on the constitutional right of freedom of association.
Note that the law requires any organization actively participating "in the planning, supervision, or control" of lobbying efforts that ponies up more than $5,000 in a quarter to disclose their activities and expenditures. The law’s purpose is to shine a light on stealth lobbying and sham coalitions, pushing legislation such as those that are often promoted by groups like NAM. The law’s criminal penalties on groups that fail to accurately disclose their lobby efforts succeeded at getting their attention. NAM says that the clause in question is imprecise and impacts groups that it is not intended to target. They fear the law will also require it to disclose the names of its members. NAM has requested the court issue a preliminary injunction on the disclosure rules until the court decides the case.
In November, NAM and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to the Senate secretary and the House clerk asking for a clarification in how lobbying disclosure rules will be applied.
