Listing “Earmarks” in Lobbying Disclosures
Most lobbyists seeking earmarks for clients are likely trying to operate slightly on the sly. At least you’d think. That’s why when, on a lark, I decided to search lobbying disclosures, under the “specific lobbying issue” field, for “earmark” I was surprised to discover my search return 42 reports. After weeding out duplicates, amendments and lobbying against earmarks, the total fell to 27 registrants seeking earmarks explicitly. Here’s some of what I found:
Some of the registrants were very specific about what they were seeking. The University of the District of Columbia, a new registrant, ticked off five earmark requests it was making to Congress, mostly likely to Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton. They included a green law school, and grant for agricultural facilities, the creation of a Veteran’s Affairs Office, and the creation of a Career Center Program. The Virginia Police Chiefs Foundation is seeking an earmark for law enforcement training, while the National Safety Council is seeking funds for a teen driver training program.
The OSF Healthcare System was incredibly specific in its description of the earmark it is seeking, “OSF Healthcare System lobbied for Federal earmark appropriations in the FY09 budget for one project. For all of the System we requested $2+ million in federal earmark funding from various federal appropriations bills to support the purchase and installation of an electronic health record system. The total cost of the project is more than $36 million.”
Some other slightly less specific examples include new buses for the Ft. Worth Transporation Authority and Metro St. Louis, funding to repair the St. Louis Flood Wall, research on chronic pain from The Jackson Laboratory, and an advanced electric vehicle project by Vectrix, Inc.
Of course, none of this information is complete. Most lobbyists do not list earmarks as an issue they are seeking action on. These are just a few of the ones who have decided to be open and up front about the type of funding they are seeking from Congress. Good for them.
Full list below:
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina | Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina | $345,818 | Discussed issues involving potential earmarks for corporate subsidiary operations |
| City of St. Louis | Bracy Tucker Brown & Valanzano DBA Brown & Associates | $20,000 | Earmarks for funding to repair the St. Louis Flood Wall |
| Metro | Bracy Tucker Brown & Valanzano DBA Brown & Associates | $20,000 | Seeking federal earmarks to purchase new buses |
| Ft. Worth Transportation Authority | Bracy Tucker Brown & Valanzano DBA Brown & Associates | $20,000.00 | Federal earmarks to purchase new buses |
| Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport | Bracy Tucker Brown & Valanzano DBA Brown & Associates | $30,000 | Seeking earmarks for Atlanta |
| Loretto Systems | David L. Horne LLC | less than $5000 | Appropriations earmark |
| Meritor Wabco | George L. Reagle and Associates | less than $5000 | Lobbied in support of reauthorization of highway bill and earmark for Arvin Meritor |
| Boise State University | Hogan & Hartson LLP | $40,000 | Assist the University in its efforts to secure federal funding for research infrastructure and qualified programmatic or earmarked research projects |
| Hillborough Area Transit Authority | Holland & Knight LLP | $20,000 | FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act (HR 1105) – funding for statewide bus earmark |
| The Jackson Laboratory | K&L Gates LLP | $50,000 | Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, provisions relating to the Health Resources and Services Administration for earmark requests for funding requests relating to research on chronic pan |
| Berea Children’s Home | LNE Group | $20,000 | Lobbied for Federal Earmarks & Appropriations |
| Freedom Medtech | LNE Group | less than $5000 | Appropriations and Earmark |
| Vectrix Corp. | LNE Group | New Registration | Seeking appropriations and earmarks for an advanced electric vehicle project |
| Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico | McConnell Valdes PLLC | $10,000 | Lobby key Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Department to secure Congressional earmark for PUPR’s research and Engineering for High Achiever Hispanic Students Program |
| Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico | McConnell Valdes PLLC | $20,000 | Lobby key Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Department of Education to secure a Congressional earmark for PUCPR’s new Biotechnology Complex and Center in Ponce PR and on issues related to PUCPR’s FY 2009 Title V grant application |
| Monode Marking Products, Inc. | McDonald Hopkins LLC | less than $5000 | seeking earmark for job training |
| National Education Association | National Education Association | $577,819 | Possible P21 earmark |
| National Safety Council | National Safety Council | $70,000 | FY 10 earmark request for evaluation of teen driver training program |
| OSF Healthcare System | OSF Healthcare System | $100,000 | OSF Healthcare System lobbied for Federal earmark appropriations in the FY09 budget for one project. For all of the System we requested $2+ million in federal earmark funding from various federal appropriations bills to support the purchase and installation of an electronic health record system. The total cost of the project is more than $36 million. |
| Mississippi Technology Alliance | Prewitt Group P.A. | $10,000 | DOL ETA Earmark Sought Senate support on resolving a greater than 12 month delay in DOL issuing an RFP/contract to MTA for that earmark from the Fiscal Year 2008 Department of Labor section of that Appropriations package |
| Will County | Smith Dawson & Andrews | $30,000 | Secure federal earmark appropriations |
| Virginia Police Chiefs Foundation | The Charles Group | less than $5000 | advocating for earmark for leadership training provided to law enforcement agencies by regional non-profit |
| Vista Technology Services | The Charles Group | $10,000 | advocating for FY10 earmark |
| Business Roundtable | The Duberstein Group | $100,000 | Process for handling earmarks |
| Trinity Health | Trinity Health | $31,000 | Federal appropriation earmark requests |
| University of the District of Columbia | University of the District of Columbia | New Registration | Submission of five earmark requests to Congress: Design of a green law school; Agricultural Facilities Grant; Creation of a Veteran’s Affairs Office; and Creating a Career Center Program |
| Wayne State University | Wayne State University | less than $5000 | Earmark request |
