Hoyer Is Proof of Earmarks' Endurance

After The Washington Post asked InTune about the delay, the foundation got in touch with the department, Neale said last week. She said the group had not yet submitted its report.

That wasn't the only issue involving the foundation's performance. In its paperwork for the earmark, InTune said it would use some of the money to hire an educator, Joan Kozlovsky, to evaluate its program in 2005 and 2006. But Kozlovsky, a former school superintendent in St. Mary's County, said in an interview that she did no such work and hadn't heard from InTune in years.

The Post reached Eugene C. Maillard, director of InTune, on his cellphone. He said that the project was carried out, although it suffered delays because its senior consultant became ill. He said Kozlovsky is "part of the team that we want to use" to do the final report.

Told about InTune's last grant, Hoyer replied: "If in fact they are not compliant with the requirements that the Department of Education has, they shouldn't get the money" for the 2008 earmark. That money was in a bill vetoed by President Bush that probably will be part of the jumbo budget package this week.

Hoyer said he supported the foundation's new request because "I thought it was a program that would be a positive program." He said that he understood it would involve music education nationally and at the National Music Center in downtown Washington -- "that's how it was described to us."

Maillard told The Post that InTune hadn't decided exactly how to spend the 2008 earmark, although most of it would go to create youth programs at the National Music Center.

"It might be music camps. It might be lessons. It might be how to be a DJ. It might be how to create a television show," he said.

Leslie K. Paige of the watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste said the grant illustrated the problem with earmarks.

"Don't we deserve to know where this money is going and who these people are?" she asked.

Maillard, his current and past In Tune associates and their families contributed at least $31,000 to Hoyer's political action committee from 2004 to 2006, Federal Election Commission records show.

Hoyer said the earmark wasn't a quid pro quo, noting that he is a longtime supporter of the music industry. But he acknowledged a link between his contributors and some projects he champions.

"If you support something . . . either through legislative language or verbal support or appropriated dollars, what happens is the proponents of those objectives wind up saying they want to support you," he said.