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August 4, 2010

Lawmakers receive more gifts, meals this year

Trevor Brown CNHI News Service

OKLA. CITY — OKLAHOMA CITY — Lawmakers and other officials dined for free more often this year than last.  

Lobbyists’ spending on gifts for state officials and employees, which were largely in the form of food and drinks, increased by more than $12,000 for the first six months of the year compared to the same time frame of 2009.

According to recently released reports from the Oklahoma Ethics Commission, lobbyists gave legislators, elected officials and other state employees or their friends and families about $85,000 from January to June of this year. In the first six months of 2009, lobbyists gave gifts totaling $72,393.

The lobbyists’ filings also reflect a differing philosophy among lawmakers on the ethics of accepting these gifts as just a handful of legislators accepted no gifts while others accepted more than $1,000 for the time frame.

Sen. Jim Halligan, R-Stillwater, Sen. Mike Mazzei, R-Tulsa, Sen. Steve Russell, R-Oklahoma City and Rep. Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie, are the four lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate who did not take any lobbyist gifts.

Halligan said his stance against taking lobbyist gifts is because he does not want to be beholden to a bill before he actually votes. He said the legislation can change through the process and he does not want to tell or let a lobbyist think he will support something until it is final.

“I’ve said for a long time I’ll never make any promises,” he said. “And I said if I were to get elected, I would vote my conscience.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Rep. Ron Peters, R-Tulsa, took in the most lobbying gifts with $1,510. Rep. Ken Miller, R-Edmond, Rep. Colby Schwartz, R-Yukon, Rep. Samson R. Buck, R-Ardmore, and Sen. Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa, round out the top five with all accepting more than $1,200 in gifts.

Rep. Dennis Johnson, R-Duncan, accepted $481 in gifts according to the report, which places him in the middle of the rankings for the House of Representatives members. Johnson said letting a lobbyist pay for a dinner for one or a group of lawmakers is a standard practice. Especially during the legislative session, he said dinner is usually the only time for lawmakers and lobbyists to talk.

Johnson added that lobbyists play an important role in the legislative process of representing a group of people or organizations who can’t individually voice their concerns. He said accepting free meals or other small gifts is unlikely to corrupt most lawmakers.

“In my case of going to dinner and having a lobbyist pay, I have never been strong-armed or influenced to vote a certain way,” he said. “Any legislator who can be influenced just by a meal doesn’t need to be here.”

Rep. Wallace Collin, D-Norman, cautioned if the system is exploited there is the potential for lobbyists to overstep their boundaries. However, Wallace, who accepted $184 in gifts for the period, said as long as the rules are properly followed it is up to lawmakers to maintain their integrity.

“The most important thing is transparency,” he said. “If someone gives me money and the public is made aware, at least they know if it looks like some wrongdoings or something hank-ypanky is going on.”

According to the state Ethics Commission, lobbyists are required to disclose any gifts of value exceeding $10. The guidelines state that a lobbyist shall not give more than $100 annually to any state official or employee.

Johnson said the state’s decision a couple years ago to cap the maximum at $100 instead of $300 is a small step toward curbing any opportunities to misuse the system.

“I think $100 is about right,” he said. “The $300 allowed much more (gifts other than meals). And in my experience you’ll go out for a $25 to $30 steak instead of a $75 to $100 meal.”

Lobbyists’ next deadline is Jan. 20, 2011, when they must disclose gifts between July 1 and the end of the year.

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