Va. Reports Show $263,000 in Trips And Other Treats
By Anita Kumar
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 3, 2008
RICHMOND -- Lobbyists, companies and trade associations showered Virginia legislators last year with trips, meals and hard-to-get tickets to Redskins football games, NASCAR races and Wolf Trap concerts, according to reports to be released Sunday.
Two House members flew to the Masters golf tournament in Georgia courtesy of the payday loan industry. Two senators went on a hunting trip to Texas paid for by the Virginia Sheriffs' Association and Institute. Dozens of other lawmakers took trips to Hilton Head, S.C., Las Vegas and Boston, among other places, to give speeches, attend conferences or socialize.
In all, 117 of the 140 members of the General Assembly accepted 725 gifts worth a record $263,000 last year, according to reports collected by the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project and analyzed by The Washington Post. The reports were embargoed for release until Sunday.
Many of the gifts were offered during the legislative session, when donors often lobby lawmakers after treating them to dinners, receptions or goody bags.
"I have never ever witnessed a case where someone took a gift and it influenced their vote," said House Minority Leader Ward L. Armstrong (D-Henry), who reported $4,639 in gifts last year. "It's about the appearance of impropriety. You do have to be careful."
In Congress, lawmakers imposed a limit on gifts after a public corruption scandal involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Similar policies were put in place in Maryland in 2001 after two high-profile scandals there.
In Virginia, lawmakers have toughened disclosure requirements but have not limited gifts.
Many of last year's gifts came from the state's largest and most influential companies and groups.
The top giver was the Virginia Sheriffs' Association and Institute, which paid for $16,693 in hunting trips, jackets, dinners and legislator-of-the-year plaques.
The association paid for Sens. Thomas K. Norment Jr. (R-James City) and Kenneth W. Stolle (R-Virginia Beach) to hunt deer at a Texas ranch. Their three trips combined cost more than $14,000.
"Quite candidly, I have a hard time telling the sheriff's association, 'I'm not going to go hunting with you,' " said Stolle, the top recipient last year with $11,142.
"If I had to be associated with a group of people in Virginia, I don't mind being associated with the Virginia Sheriffs' Association."
Other top givers were the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association; Dominion Resources, which runs the state's power company; the Virginia League of Conservation Voters; and Altria Group, the parent company of Kraft Foods and tobacco firm Philip Morris. Their most common gift, especially during the legislative session, was a meal at some of Richmond's priciest restaurants.
"We believe in and support Virginia's disclosure laws, and as far as individual gifts go, they speak for themselves," said David Botkins, a spokesman for Dominion, which gave $11,270 in gifts last year.
Del. Adam P. Ebbin (D-Alexandria) declared 30 gifts worth $10,736, including a laptop computer and four tickets to a circus, making him the second-highest recipient last year. Ebbin said he sees nothing wrong with accepting gifts if they are properly disclosed.
"I think if you put things out in the open, there is less cause to question. The public has the right to know," he said. "I wouldn't accept something that would cause me to change my position."
Six payday loan companies and their trade association, the Community Financial Services Association, spent more than $6,000 to fly Dels. Phillip A. Hamilton (R-Newport News) and Robert Tata (R-Virginia Beach) to the Masters in Augusta, Ga.
The industry has been fighting calls for the General Assembly to impose stiffer regulations on payday lenders.
Jamie Fulmer, a spokesman for Advance America, the nation's largest payday loan company, said that the industry supports Virginia's disclosure laws but that "it's always been our policy to not discuss gifts or contributions."
The Cable Show, an annual trade show, flew Del. Terry G. Kilgore (R-Scott) to Las Vegas to explain to legislators from other states how Virginia passed compromise legislation two years ago to open the cable industry up to more competition.
"A lot of these opportunities show how Virginia is leading the nation," said Kilgore, who declared $6,865 in gifts last year. "It's a great way to share ideas and get ideas."
The General Assembly is considering a proposal this year that would ban any legislator or statewide official from attending a fundraising event during the legislative session that is put on by an individual or group that contributed money to them in the previous year. The House approved the bill, but it is expected to be amended or killed in the Senate.
Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick (R-Prince William), who declared $1,918 in gifts last year, said he supports the proposal, even though he thinks Virginia's disclosure laws are working.
"I doubt that we have a problem in Virginia with ethics, because everything is out in the open," he said.
Virginia law does not limit the gifts lawmakers can receive, but it requires that items valued at more than $50 be disclosed. Still, legislators acknowledge that many go unreported.
Many gifts are less than $50. Some givers prorate the cost of group events to be less than $50 for each guest.
Legislators often do not keep track of the gifts and simply wait for letters from lobbyists to remind them to report, although that does not ensure it will happen. A Feb. 12 dinner sponsored by PhRMA, the drug industry association, was attended by eight legislators, but only four listed the dinner on their reports, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
If gifts are reported, key details are often missing, such as where and when an event took place.
Del. Kristen J. Amundson (D-Fairfax) said that most of the events occur during the legislative session at the start of the year but that reports are due in December. She said the state should consider making the reporting period at a different time of year.
"I don't think the reporting is as accurate as it should be," said Amundson, who declared $5,821 in gifts last year.
Staff researcher Meg Smith and staff writer Sandhya Somashekhar contributed to this report.
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