Washington Mutual
Washington Mutual, through its political action committee (PAC) and employees, has given over $17,000 since '98 to Rep. John LaFalce (D-NY). (In comparison, Slade Gorton received $2,500 in '99.) LaFalce is the senior Democrat on the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services, the committee responsible for all banking, insurance, and real estate matters. Washington Mutual lobbied LaFalce on two key pieces of legislation. The first was the financial modernization bill, which allows banks, insurance companies, and security firms to merge (the bill passed in November of last year). Due to its federal charter status, Washington Mutual was already able to do business in multiple sectors, but the bank lobbied for the bill to "make sure it preserved our business interests," says public relations spokesperson Libby Hutchinson. The second, which passed recently, is the Electronic Signature Act. The act makes electronic signatures legally binding and allows banks to become much more efficient and offer additional products online. Currently, Washington Mutual is lobbying to prevent some provisions in the huge financial modernization bill, like the consumer privacy section, from being enacted on time. "We want more time to prepare," says Hutchinson.
Airborne Express
Airborne Express, a freight transportation company, has given $6,500 through its PAC to Rep. Ted Strickland (D-OH). (Slade Gorton received $2,500 in '99.) Strickland, a member of the influential Commerce Committee, is from Ohio, where Airborne runs the bulk of its operations from the country's largest private airport. The airport, which was acquired in 1980, employs 7,200 people and is to the community what "Boeing is to Seattle," says Airborne spokesperson Tom Branigan. Since that time, Airborne has been buying up a lot of the surrounding farmland and is becoming a big player in the Ohio real estate market. Airborne has also lobbied Strickland on other issues such as foreign trade (Airborne does $367 million in international business), Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) standards, and aircraft noise requirements. Airborne lobbied OSHA, for example, to make sure worker safety regulations that OSHA administers didn't--as Branigan puts it--erode company productivity. "Anything that affects the bottom line is very important to us," he says. The aircraft industry is currently facing increased regulation, and Branigan anticipates that "Airborne will get a lot more involved" with lobbying.
Avista Corp.
Avista Corp., an energy, utilities, and communications company, has given $1,000 each to two out-of-state candidates: Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ) and Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-ID). (Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA) received $500.) Avista prefers to spread out their money among members of different committees, as opposed to giving bulk sums to one member. Craig and Kyl are members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, a "cash cow committee," according to Ed Mierzwinski of the Ralph Nader-spawned lobbying group U.S.-PIRG. The Senate Appropriations Committee, among other things, provides the operating budgets for government agencies that--surprise, surprise--regulate industries like utilities or telecommunications. Avista depends on government subsidies to fund its research-and-development projects, like those exploring fuel cell technology and hydroelectric power. Obviously Avista pays close attention (as evidenced by its hand-picked donations to Avista's Arizona and Idaho recipients) to members of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.
