Jump to full article: Trading Markets, 2008-04-17
Intro: Tobacco interests spent nearly $2 million to influence California elections and legislative policy in 2007, according to a new report by the American Lung Association of California's Center for Tobacco Policy & Organizing (the Center).
"Campaign Contributions and Lobbying Expenditures of Tobacco Interests" shows which legislators and how much money was accepted from tobacco interests in 2007, as well as which bills the tobacco interests lobbied. This report for 2007 is one of a series of quarterly reports produced by the Center for the 2007-2008 election cycle. Highlights from the 2007 report include:
- Philip Morris USA, Inc., maker of Marlboro cigarettes, spent nearly $345,000 in the fourth quarter (September - December) of 2007 to lobby on ABX1-1, the health care reform bill authored by Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-46) and supported by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The health care reform legislation would have increased the state tobacco tax by $1.75 per pack.
- Tobacco interests are making campaign contributions to legislators and candidates at the same rate they contributed in the previous election cycle. . . .
In addition to this report, the Center unveiled an expanded online database of campaign contributions from tobacco interests to members of the Legislature. The public can use the database to see if their legislator accepted tobacco money. Additionally, the database contains contributions information for both current and past legislators and you can search by name, legislative district or county.
. . .
A full copy of "Campaign Contributions and Lobbying Expenditures of Tobacco Interests" is available at http://www.Center4TobaccoPolicy.org/tobaccomoney .
The searchable database can be accessed at http://www.Center4TobaccoPolicy.org/database .
Jump to full article » |