The Power of The Lobbyist

Photo: TN History For Kids. Org

Lobbying is legal. Lobbyists who are properly registered in Tennessee may conduct business in Nashville within the guidelines of the law. That being said, the amount of money that flows through our capital city is staggering. Take ATT, for instance. Here’s a look from the Chattanooga Times Free Press at how much money ATT spent in the Volunteer State alone.

 By Andy Sher CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS NASHVILLE — Telecommunications giant AT&T spent $523,000 to $623,000 from Oct. 1, 2008, to March 31 as it pushed deregulation of basic telephone service in the Tennessee General Assembly, new lobbying disclosures show. The disclosures, on file with the Tennessee Ethics Commission, include expenditures of $300,000 to $350,000 to fund an army of 20 lobbyists who plied the 99 members of the House of Representatives and the 33-member Senate. Another $200,000 to $250,000 went for lobbying-related expenses, which can include items such as public relations. The company also coughed up $23,000 on a Jan. 14 Nashville reception for lawmakers, other officials and civic leaders celebrating the introduction of its U-verse cable service in select parts of Middle Tennessee. The invitation said the event included “live jazz, open bar and heavy hors d’oeuvres.” The AT&T-pushed bill passed May 8, well after the six-month disclosure period ended March 31, and AT&T’s total expenses likely are higher. The bill did away with most price regulation of AT&T’s telephone service except in rural areas. The company can increase prices as it pleases for basic telephone service and unbundled services such as directory assistance and call waiting. Asked about the lobbying expenses, AT&T Tennessee spokesman Bob Corney said in an e-mail the company “applied reasonable resources to advocate for policies that will help AT&T compete on a more level playing field with our competitors.” He noted the bill, which he said removes many “outdated rules and process that have applied only to AT&T,” wasn’t the only issue the company is interested in this year. Moreover, Mr. Corney said the reception didn’t include just lawmakers. The six-month disclosures filed by special interests spending money to influence the General Assembly were due in to the Ethics Commission by May 15. The Tennessee Cable Telecommunications Association, which initially opposed the AT&T bill, reported spending $158,623 to $218,622 from Oct. 1 to March 31. Between $150,000 and $200,000 of the total went toward paying five lobbyists, records show. “We’re protecting the interests of the cable industry,” cable association president Stacey Briggs said. “The vast majority of those expenditures are for lobbying.” Comcast, meanwhile, reported spending $50,000 to $100,000 on one lobbyist and between zero and $10,000 on lobbying-related expenses. A cursory glance at the disclosures reveals a number of major legislative battles playing out in terms of dollars spent to hire lobbyists, fund public relations consultants and receptions. Tennessee’s three natural gas distributors — Chattanooga Gas Co. (AGL Resources), Atmos Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas — collectively reported spending $45,000 to $100,000 on 10 lobbyists in an ultimately unsuccessful bill aimed at making it easier for them to raise rates. The companies spent somewhere between nothing and $30,000 on lobbying-related expenses. Chattanooga Gas reported spending $10,000 to $25,000 on four lobbyists. Those opposing the bill included the Chattanooga Manufacturers Association, which had no report on file, according to the Ethics Commission Web site. Meanwhile, commission filings show nursing home interests spent at least $510,000 and as much as $635,000 lobbying on issues including a losing bid to cap damage awards in lawsuits. The Tennessee Health Care Association, an umbrella trade group for nursing homes, reported spending $250,000 to $300,000 to send nine lobbyists to Capitol Hill. National Healthcare Corp. of Murfreesboro spent $250,000 to $300,000 for seven lobbyists, records show. National Healthcare also reported spending between $10,000 to $25,000 on lobbying-related expenses. Trial lawyers who fought the measure, reported spending between $100,000 and $150,000 on five lobbyists. Meanwhile, one of Tennessee’s newest corporations, Volkswagen, which is building a $1 billion plant in Chattanooga, reported spending between $10,000 and $25,000 on its five-person Miller & Martin law firm lobby team.