Indiana's delegates take care of donors

August 20, 2007


Indiana's delegates take care of donors
9 House members have added $148M in pet projects into bills
By Maureen Groppe
Star Washington Bureau
August 20, 2007


WASHINGTON -- Democratic Congressman Pete Visclosky, who represents part of Northwest Indiana, has used his seat on the committee that appropriates federal dollars to steer $12.5 million to out-of-state defense companies that contributed to his campaign either through their employees or lobbyists.
His colleague on the other side of the aisle, Republican Dan Burton, is asking for $2.5 million in defense spending for a local autism center named for his grandson.
Both requests are among the $148 million in projects Indiana's nine U.S. House members have inserted into federal spending bills. Called "earmarks," the projects must survive the process of reconciling the House and Senate versions of the spending legislation. They also must survive veto threats by President Bush, who says most of the bills cost too much.
Although recent influence-peddling scandals have focused more attention on funding for special projects, the fundamental nature of earmarks hasn't changed. They are distributed based more on clout -- including lawmakers' committee assignments, whether their party is in the majority and whether they face a competitive re-election bid -- than on comparative merit. And those in the best position to get earmarks are magnets for campaign contributions.
Visclosky, a 12-term House member who sits on the Appropriations Committee that writes the annual spending bills, requested $89.5 million -- 61 percent of the money Indiana delegation members inserted into the spending bills. His portion is about $22 million more than Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., got included in the bills.
The state's four other Democrats didn't do as well as Visclosky did, but each got about $10 million worth of projects into the bills, putting them ahead of the state's four Republicans.
The largest Indiana earmark in the legislation -- $6.8 million for White River flood damage reduction in Indianapolis -- was inserted by Rep. Julia Carson, D-Indianapolis. Rep. Baron Hill, D-Seymour, was responsible for the smallest -- $11,000 for security cameras and door locks for the Sellersburg Police Department.
Among Republican delegation members, the projects requested by Rep. Mike Pence, who has criticized earmarks and is not facing a tough re-election, are worth the least -- $3.2 million.
The Senate is further behind in the budget process. But early versions of some Senate budget bills show Sens. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and Evan Bayh, D-Ind., have won approval for $17.6 million in projects they've requested together and $2.8 million in projects they requested individually.
Visclosky's power surge

Visclosky, who heads an appropriations subcommittee that produces one of the 12 annual spending bills, has collected $728,493 in campaign contributions so far this year.
That's about twice what he raised in an equivalent period in 2005 when he didn't chair the subcommittee responsible for funding energy and water projects. Only 25 lawmakers in the House raised more through June, according to disclosure reports.
Visclosky's office did not respond to requests for comment.
Nearly two-thirds of the $19.5 million Visclosky earmarked for companies outside Indiana is destined for seven firms represented by PMA Group, a top defense lobbying shop whose roster includes many former congressional and Pentagon aides. A former top Visclosky aide, Richard Kaelin, is now a lobbyist at PMA Group.
Visclosky's campaign committee received $137,750 from PMA Group and its employees from 1989 through 2006, the largest amount the committee has received from a single source, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign contributions.
The lobbying company, which declined to comment, has given another $40,000 to Visclosky's personal campaign and political action committees so far this year, according to disclosure reports. In addition, the 13 companies both inside and outside Indiana that are represented by the PMA Group and would receive earmarks requested by Visclosky gave at least $96,900 to Visclosky through June.
Applied Global Technologies, headquartered in Florida, got $2.5 million at Visclosky's request for video teletraining for the military. Executive Vice President Mike Garvey said the company sought Visclosky's help, even though the project doesn't have an Indiana connection.
"We go on the Hill with some folks that we use on Capitol Hill and we look for folks that like to support different types of military operations," Garvey said.
Garvey said he doesn't know whether campaign contributions from company officials make it easier to get earmarks.
"I'm not one of the people that actually contribute to his campaign," he said.
However, Visclosky's campaign disclosure report shows Garvey gave the maximum $2,300 contribution in April, and two other company officers did the same in May.
General Atomics, another out-of-state company that benefited from Visclosky's help -- and gave to his campaign -- said the special project money earmarked for the company would benefit Indiana.
Gary Hopper, vice president of the company's Washington operations, said some of the $1 million it would receive would go to Purdue University, which is helping develop a fuel cell soldiers could carry on their belts.
PMA Group's clients include companies that are part of a high-tech business incubator in northwest Indiana created by Purdue University with money Visclosky secured in previous years' spending bills.
Visclosky got $6.9 million for construction of the Purdue Technology Center of Northwest Indiana, which opened in 2005. Five of the seven initial companies were PMA clients whose headquarters were elsewhere but who opened operations in Northwest Indiana.
Visclosky has continued to look out for the five companies, getting at least $12 million for them in this year's defense spending bill.
One company, 21st Century Systems, which has offices in nine states, said it commonly works with universities like Purdue. A company official said its involvement in the center is not due to Visclosky.
Spokesman Larry Jackson said the small company needs help from Congress because, although it won competitive rounds of funding for its intelligent software security system, it's difficult to get funding for the final phase.
Jackson said the $19,500 company employees have contributed to Visclosky this year is common for companies that work with the government.
"It is the way the nation's system is set up," Jackson said. "It is kind of a cost of doing business in some ways."
Burton, who requested $7.6 million for earmarks, leads the delegation's Republicans in the dollar value of special projects in the spending bills. The largest chunk, $2.5 million, would go to the Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center, a project included in the spending bill for the Defense Department.
"It's not that autism or cancer isn't laudable research," said Steve Ellis, vice president of the budget watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense. "It's just unclear that it's something that the Defense Department should be spending its dollars on when men and women are in harm's way."
A high priority for Burton

Burton spokesman Clark Rehme responded: "Helping autistic children is one of Congressman Burton's highest priorities."
Burton also requested $200,000 for the center in the bill that funds health programs. Ellis said it's possible that Burton went after funding in both bills because the panel writing the defense bill was being more generous with earmarks.
Jon Mills, spokesman for Clarian Health Partners, the Indianapolis-based hospital system that includes the autism center, said the federal funding Burton has gotten for the center over the years has been crucial.
"Financially, it's very tough to treat these children," Mills said. "We just want to tip our hat to him and extend our gratitude."