Lobbying - Page 7

December 20, 2015

Hundreds of private lobbyists earning public pensions in 20 states

As a lobbyist in New York's statehouse, Stephen Acquario is doing pretty well. He pulls down $204,000 a year, more than the governor makes, gets a Ford Explorer as his company car and is afforded another special perk:  Even though he's not a government employee, he is entitled to a full state pension.

December 20, 2015

CAP president’s meeting with Indian PM highlights Podesta influence

India’s prime minister met with the president of a leading liberal think tank during a swing through Washington this week after his government enlisted the services of a lobbying and public relations firm founded by that think tank’s former chairman.

December 20, 2015

Lobbyist on demand: For 5 bucks, company will nag your congressmember

Want to harangue your member of Congress, but don't have the time to pick up the phone? For $4.95, someone else will do it for you. 

December 20, 2015

California farmer locked in battle with union

Six months ago, workers at one of the largest fruit farms in the U.S. went to the ballot box to decide if they would continue to be represented by the United Farm Workers, which won that right two decades ago but never forged a labor contract.

December 20, 2015

Union leaders warn Keystone rejection would hurt Democrats in November

Leaders of the nation's building trades unions renewed their demands Tuesday that President Obama approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline, suggesting that there could be consequences for Democrats in the November elections if the project is rejected.

May 7, 2015

What's in your summer burger? Why your government doesn't want you to know

Even if they are not the hippest foodies, most people who buy hamburger for a late summer cookout want to know the source of their ground beef. If not the specific farm or state or even region, whether the meat is American-raised or has traveled across the globe from who knows where matters to a lot of Americans. That insistence on our right to know about our food is why federal law requires that meat be labeled with the country of origin. Or it used to do that.

May 6, 2015

Congress must make Chemical Safety Act live up to its name

The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act for the 21st Century has a nice ring to it. Named for the late, longtime New Jersey Senator who passed away in 2013, the bill, championed in the Senate by Republican David Vitter and Democratic Tom Udall, would reform the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA). It is a shame that both the current and proposed legislation fall far short of their lofty names, and that countless Americans have suffered, are suffering, will suffer as a result.