Lobbyists noticing Nevadans

WASHINGTON -- On June 28, an assortment of business lobbyists assembled at Ruth's Chris Steak House to get to know the two newest Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee.

Steak and chicken dinners were served at a fundraiser for the newcomers, Jon Porter of Nevada and Patrick Tiberi of Ohio, as well as committee veteran Dave Camp of Michigan.

Some of the lobbyists already knew Porter, a three-term congressman from Boulder City. But for others he was a fresh face that they thought they should get to know because his vote on the committee might someday mean lots of money to their clients one way or another.

Porter and Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., entered a new echelon this year when both were made members of the powerful Ways and Means Committee.

Both had lobbied hard for the seats, which puts them in the front line of writing bills for taxes and tax breaks, trade policy, and entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare.

It also stands to make them more popular with lobbyists for a variety of industries.

Although it is still relatively early in the 2008 campaign season, a handful of political action committees that previously were not donors already have written out campaign checks to the Nevadans, according to an examination of their finance reports and databases constructed by the Center for Responsive Politics and CQ Moneyline.

Berkley received first-time contributions from 18 business-related PACs representing $26,500, according to the databases. Among new donors were PACs for eBay, New York Life Insurance and Pfizer Inc.

Porter normally draws money from business PACs. Still, this year nine donated for the first time, such as PACS for Genesis Healthcare Corp., a nursing home company, and the Reinsurance Association of America. Those donations totaled $14,000.

The American Seniors Housing Association was a first-time donor to Porter, giving him $2,000 in June.

"He was somebody we wanted to get to know," said Rachelle Bernstecker, vice president of government relations. "This is a committee we have traditionally supported."

Similarly, a spokeswoman for New York Life said Berkley's committee standing played a role in the insurance company's donation of $5,000 in June.

"We consider the relevance of the legislator's committee assignment, among other factors, when making a donation to their campaign," Theresa Wolcott said.

Porter maintained that PACs donate for varying reasons and the newcomers to his campaign may not have been eyeing his committee affiliation.

"Health care was always a huge part of my agenda," Porter said. "So I actually see a lot of the same people I have worked with over the years."

Berkley and Porter say it is too early to tell what impact Ways and Means will have on their campaign accounts.

In separate interviews, they said they were aware of the political benefit but downplayed that as a reason for joining.

"I never relied on a committee assignments to raise money," Berkley said. "I have a very loyal donor base and a lot of people supportive of what I do. I have enjoyed that since the first time I ran in 1998."

So far, Berkley has collected more than $936,000 toward next year's election, up from the $795,000 she raised in the first six months of the last election cycle in 2005.

Porter has raised about $695,000, down from the $768,000 he raised at this point in 2005.

Whether intended or not, analysts and former House members said that a seat on the Ways and Means Committee usually means a general boost in fundraising ability.

Along with the Appropriations Committee, Ways and Means is well known as a check magnet, said Larry Sabato, a political science professor at the University of Virginia.

"You're going to find that you have a lot of new friends, very good friends, friends who can't wait to write checks," Sabato said.

Government watchdogs said the relationship between lawmakers and donors is troubling in general, and perhaps more so when special interests are looking to the Ways and Means Committee to gain or preserve tax breaks.

"It's just fiction to say the donations aren't tied in any way to the legislation," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "It is hard to say what came first, the position or the contribution."

But Porter believes PACs donate to lawmakers who already see things their way, a spokesman said.

"The money from PACs follows the votes, but the votes don't follow the money," his spokesman Matt Leffingwell said.

Porter said he takes precautions of checking out donors he did not solicit or does not recognize.

"Whenever you get a lot of new friends you have to be cautious," he said.

After she was appointed to the Ways and Means Committee, Berkley said she held a series of "meet and greets" with trade and health care representatives over bacon and eggs at Johnny's Half Shell, a restaurant near Capitol Hill.

She said they were not fundraisers but a chance to learn the issues and get to know experts.

"They would have never had interacted with me on the international relations committee," Berkley said.

Berkley chief of staff Richard Urey said it was likely that lobbyists who got to know Berkley at those meetings would be invited to donate to her campaign down the road.

Bill Frenzel, a former Republican congressman from Minnesota who served on Ways and Means Committee from 1975 to 1991, said PAC contributions are not meant to buy votes, but rather to gain a foot in the door where lobbyists might be able to get a lawmaker on the phone or to sit down for a meeting.

"It seems they were contributing for access, not quid pro quo," he said.