Former aides to Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) have used their connections to the Senator and institutions connected to him to reap some $20 million in lobbying fees and secure Burns-authored earmarks for their clients, according to Roll Call. The newspaper reports that, “more than a dozen companies in the telecommunications and high-tech sector … have paid lobbying retainers to former Burns aides … As chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee on communications through the end of 2004 — and as an ongoing member of the Commerce and Appropriations committees — Burns holds significant sway over how the government regulates and aids the telecommunications industry.” Burns consistently backed legislation and pushed for tax breaks for companies that employed his former staffers as lobbyists.