Maryland
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/15/AR2010061505399_pf.html
By John Wagner
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 16, 2010; B01
More than 30 House speakers from across the country will be treated over
the next four days to some of the best of what Maryland has to offer: a
stay in one of Annapolis's swankiest hotels, a reception at the
governor's mansion with a preeminent historian, a cruise on the
Chesapeake Bay to an 185-year-old lighthouse, and a crab feast,
historical re-enactment and fireworks display at Baltimore's Fort McHenry.
The tab for the 2010 National Speakers Conference -- hosted this year by
Maryland House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) -- is expected
to top $500,000, organizers say. And the bills for it will be paid by a
few dozen local and national corporations, almost all of which have
business before legislatures in Maryland and other states. Those helping
underwrite this year's program, for instance, include at least four
companies with a large stake in the success of Maryland's fledgling
slot-machine gambling program.
The annual conference brings together a small club of state House
leaders and top aides, and is cast as an opportunity to swap tips about
presiding over their chambers and to hear from experts about important
issues of the day. Panelists this year will address topics including the
national economy, higher education and why voters appear angry.
In exchange for their donations of up to $25,000, representatives of
national and regional health-care, insurance and energy companies --
among other "corporate participants" -- will also get to attend many of
the sessions and mingle with powerful lawmakers in more relaxed settings.
Busch said that for him, the conference provides a chance to network
with fellow speakers and "a great opportunity to showcase Maryland."
But critics say the gathering is just one of a growing number of ways
that moneyed interests are seeking to gain access and influence with
policymakers, much like they do at national political party conventions
every four years.
"For special interests, this is actually a bigger bang for their buck,
because it's far more intimate," said Mary Boyle, a national spokeswoman
for Common Cause, a public advocacy group. "They'll be spending four
days with a very powerful group of people with a lot of reach across the
country."
68 corporations
A list released last week by the State Legislative Leaders Foundation, a
nonpartisan, nonprofit group coordinating the conference, included 68
"corporate participants" but did not identify the amount of their
donations. Most of the corporations have a lobbying presence in multiple
states. About two-thirds retain registered lobbyists in Annapolis.
Stephen Lakis, the foundation's leader, said most corporations gave no
more than $10,000 and said the group's practices are similar to those of
national associations of governors and mayors.
The gathering -- whose guest speakers include author and historian David
McCullough and former Baltimore Orioles iron man Cal Ripken Jr. -- is
shaping up to be one of the best-attended in the two decades that the
organization has pulled them together, Busch said.
Promotional materials for the conference do not exactly hide its
less-taxing events.
"While the educational components of the annual meeting are of utmost
importance, we can't forget the fun stuff," reads a blurb in the most
recent "Speaker to Speaker" newsletter, which also promotes
opportunities for golf and tours of Maryland's "historic gems."
In his capacity as host, Busch said, he sent solicitations to several
dozen corporations that helped sponsor past conferences, as well as to
some Maryland companies that had not donated before. He said he also
made some phone calls.
"I didn't press anybody on what they should contribute," Busch said,
adding that he had cleared his activities with the legislature's ethics
adviser.
Maryland-based donors
Busch identified two Maryland-based donors that gave $25,000:
Constellation Energy and the law firm of Peter Angelos, the owner of the
Orioles.
That's several times what either could give Busch to support his
re-election. Under Maryland law, corporations may give no more than
$4,000 directly to a candidate once every four years. There are no
limits, however, on how much lawmakers may solicit from a corporation
for the benefit of nonprofit groups, including the State Legislative
Leaders Foundation, to which checks were written.
Other donors to the 2010 conference include two companies whose
subsidiaries have been awarded licenses to operate slots venues in
Maryland: Penn National Gaming, which is building a facility in Cecil
County expected to open this fall; and the Cordish Cos., which is trying
to build the state's largest casino at Arundel Mills mall in Hanover.
Also contributing is a construction company owned by William Rickman
Jr., who holds a license to operate slots at Ocean Downs racetrack on
Maryland's Eastern Shore; and GTECH, a major gaming technology company
that in January won a $40 million contract to operate a central computer
system that will track slot machines at Maryland sites.
Robert Vincent, a spokesman for Rhode Island-based GTECH, said the
company has a long-standing relationship with the foundation that
organizes the conferences. This year, GTECH has donated $7,500 and will
be sending a vice president for government relations.
"We find these meetings informative," Vincent said. "We get to see where
public policy is going and how it will impact our business."
Marceline White, executive director of the Maryland Consumer Rights
Coalition, said it is unfortunate that nonprofit groups such as hers do
not have the same opportunity.
"At best, it seems like there's a perception problem," said White, whose
organization has been working recently on initiatives to prevent home
foreclosures.
"There's a real need to hear what's happening on the ground, from
poverty advocates and consumer advocates," she said. "Those are
important voices for speakers to hear. It seems like a real missed
opportunity."
Busch played down such concerns. "I don't think these conferences have
changed the outcome of any legislation or limited the ability of other
groups to have their voices heard," he said. "I don't know that anyone
determines any legislative initiatives at this event."
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