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The Sunlight Foundation Blog
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REPOST: Next Banking Committee Chair Has Ties to Financial Sector
Note: I wrote this over the summer when the possibility existed that Sen. Chris Dodd would be moving from the Banking Committee to the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. With Dodd’s retirement announcement, I figured it would be useful to revisit. I have removed some of the introductory text as it is now irrelevant, but can be viewed at the original posting here.
Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota is next in line to replace Sen. Dodd and has similarly close ties to the financial sector.
According to Open Secrets from 2003-2008, Sen. Johnson has pulled in $1,407,958 from the finance, insurance and real estate sector. While this pales in comparison to Sen. Dodd’s $9,097,107 over the same period of time, it accounts for 20% of the South Dakota senator’s campaign haul. Sen. Johnson’s finance contributions are aided by the importance of South Dakota to the finance and credit industries. These companies only need to abide by the regulations of the state within which they are incorporated and South Dakota has some of loosest regulations for bank holding and credit card companies. This has led to a large number of credit and banks companies locating in the small plains state, providing for tens of thousands of jobs. (Continue reading…)
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Potential New Banking Committee Chair Has Ties to Financial Sector
With the passing of Sen. Ted Kennedy, the gavel he wielded as chair of the Senate Health, Labor, Education & Pensions Committee must pass as well. The senator next in line to chair the committee is an old Kennedy friend, Sen. Chris Dodd. Sen. Dodd, however, currently chairs the Senate Banking Committee and would have to relinquish that gavel if he were to replace Kennedy and shepherd through the health care reform bill championed by his departed friend. A switch in committees may be just what the Connecticut senator needs right now. As negative feelings have increased about bank bailouts, Sen. Dodd has come under withering criticism for his close ties, and large campaign contributions from, the financial sector. Unfortunately, he may be replaced by another senator with similar conflicts. Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota is next in line to replace Sen. Dodd and has similarly close ties to the financial sector.
According to Open Secrets from 2003-2008, Sen. Johnson has pulled in $1,407,958 from the finance, insurance and real estate sector. While this pales in comparison to Sen. Dodd’s $9,097,107 over the same period of time, it accounts for 20% of the South Dakota senator’s campaign haul. Sen. Johnson’s finance contributions are aided by the importance of South Dakota to the finance and credit industries. These companies only need to abide by the regulations of the state within which they are incorporated and South Dakota has some of loosest regulations for bank holding and credit card companies. This has led to a large number of credit and banks companies locating in the small plains state, providing for tens of thousands of jobs.
The support Sen. Johnson receives from the industry, and their importance to his state, is reflected in the senator’s recent voting record. Donny Shaw at Open Congress (Friend of Sunlight) looked at Sen. Johnson’s recent votes and showed that he stands out among Democrats in his support for the credit card industry. The senator was the only Democrat to oppose a recent law, sponsored by Sen. Dodd, to “restrict unfair credit card rate increases, penalties and fees, and bans deceptive and predatory practices.” He was also one of a handful of Democrats to oppose a series of amendments meant to impose tougher regulations on credit card companies.
Sen. Johnson isn’t just connected to the finance sector through his campaign contributions and his votes, but also by his former staffers turned lobbyists. Two of Sen. Johnson’s former staffers currently work for firms representing financial clients or companies in the financial world. In 2005, Naomi Camper left her position as staff director for Sen. Johnson on the Senate Financial Institutions Subcommittee to become co-head of Federal Government Relations at JPMorgan Chase, one the biggest banks in the United States. Dwight Fettig, a former staff director of Sen. Johnson, became a partner in the almost exclusively finance-related lobbying shop, Porterfield, Lowenthal & Fettig. Clients at Fettig’s firm include the American Bankers Association, the Coalition of Private Investment Companies, NASDAQ and the National Association of Mortgage Brokers.
These connections and contributions should be of concern to anyone who is already alarmed by the relationship that Sen. Dodd has with the financial sector. As the government continues to determine it’s role in the financial sector, through bailouts and Federal Reserve lending, it may be better to reserve committee chairs for those without the conflicts that Sen. Johnson may bring with him.
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Tough Day for Credit Card Companies
It’s a tough day for the credit card industry. In spite of all the lobbying spending ($9,170,573 in 2009) and all those campaign contributions ($7,367,066 in 2008), they couldn’t prevent a landslide loss in Washington. Today, the Senate approved a bill to place regulations on the credit card industry for the first time in decades by a vote of 90-5. The House approved the bill last week by a lopsided 357-70 margin.
There are very few measures in influence when looking at such a lopsided victory, particularly on what would once have been an uphill battle against the credit lobby. All three lawmakers representing Delaware, that little slice of bank heaven, voted for final passage of the bill. The only ones staying true to their contributors and constituents were the three South Dakotans in Congress.
South Dakota is a special case. What peaches are to Georgia, credit cards are to South Dakota. (Watch this PBS Frontline report for the full history.) Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin and Sen. Tim Johnson, both of South Dakota, were the only two Democrats to oppose the bill. Johnson received $349,800 from finance and credit companies over the course of his career, with nearly half of that ($154,350) coming from 2007-2008. Herseth Sandlin has not received a significant amount of money from the credit card companies. I’m sure she received enough phone calls from credit card employees in her state to convince her though.
Despite the epic loss for the industry, the credit cards did have a few important victories. According to CBS News, “the American Financial Services Association urged all U.S. senators to oppose all rate caps and so far they have been successful.” So, there’s that.
All in all, a tough day for a big time lobbying player. As a holder credit card debt myself, I can assure that Americans don’t share their grief. When credit card lobbyist Bill Himpler says, “To our critics? You know, I’m not going to say anything,” it’s because he knows better than to say anything at all.
