When six-term state Rep. Connie Wilson resigned last year to become a lobbyist for the very industry that benefited from the Charlotte Republican’s legislation, the move raised ethical eyebrows but didn’t break any laws. But it looks like such moves may not be allowed much longer. At last, after the state House of Representatives passed a reform bill similar to one the Senate approved months ago, North Carolina is poised to join 29 other states that ban lawmakers from immediately lobbying after leaving office.
The move gives the state “an opportunity to fix the system before we all get embarrassed,” said David Mills, executive director of the liberal Common Sense Foundation. But politicians looking to trade on their legislative experience won’t have to wait too long. The original plan requiring a one-year cooling off period between elected office and lobbying was scrapped at the last minute last Thursday in favor of a version calling for a mere 60-day period. Still, ethics groups considered the bill progress, even if it doesn’t slam shut the revolving door between lawmaking and lobbying.
Even some prominent lobbyists praised the measure. Don Beason, whose clients include BellSouth, BB&T and Progress Energy, welcomed the bill even as he said it wasn’t needed. He pointed out that recent state government scandals, such as former Agriculture Secretary Meg Scott Phipps’ conviction in 2003 for campaign misdeeds, weren’t found in the legislative branch. “Having said that, the General Assembly has every right and reason to regulate it,” Beason concluded.
Examples abound of lawmakers whose quick switches raise questions. Wilson, who did not return calls seeking comment, is one of at least a couple dozen former legislators who have registered as lobbyists soon after leaving office. She resigned office to work for the North Carolina Travel Industry Association, not long after she pushed a tourism-friendly bill to delay the start of the school year.
Rolf Blizzard this year left his position as chief of staff to Senate President Marc Basnight, D-Dare, to work for a state commerce group.
And former Rep. Andy Dedmon, a Cleveland County Democrat, served on the House insurance committee in 2002 as he was garnering the second-highest amount of contributions from Blue Cross Blue Shield. When he lost his seat that year, he became a lobbyist for the insurance giant, according to the liberal Common Cause Foundation.
Currently, lobbyists may spend whatever they want on lawmakers — as long as they don’t discuss legislation while doing so. If a lobbyist buys a legislator’s spouse a car, it doesn’t have to be reported. If a lobbyist wants to loan a lawmaker money at a rate lower than that available to others, that’s OK.
“There are plenty of anecdotes around Raleigh about legislators taking free trips to Florida that are paid for entirely by lobbyists,” Mills said. The new regulations are intended to close such loopholes.
The push came after Secretary of State Elaine Marshall in May 2004 recommended the changes, and also followed a report from the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity which gave North Carolina a failing score for its lobby regulations.
The legislation was supported by people across the political spectrum, including the conservative NC Family Policy Council and the more liberal Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina. It passed overwhelmingly last week (only three representatives, including Rep. Linda Johnson, R-Cabarrus, voted against it). Although complaints were voiced behind the scenes, it was difficult to find lawmakers or lobbyists who would publicly say they opposed the measure. Such sentiments “aren’t exactly popular with the public,” said Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina, which backed the reforms.
A few questions remain about the reforms, including the critical one of whether the Secretary of State’s office will receive enough taxpayer dollars to audit and investigate lobbying. Also, there’s the question of whether the sanctions will carry any weight. According to a fiscal impact report filed with the bill, no available data documents how many people have been charged or convicted under current lobbying laws — indicating people are infrequently charged and rarely convicted. Few more such actions would result from the reforms, according to the report.
Still, Phillips said, the changes will make a difference. “If the public feels that their officials are trying to work for their next job and not work for them, then that’s a problem,” he said. “And that’s the way the current system is set up.”
This article appears in Aug 17-23, 2005.
