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Virginia Legislators Are Wined, Dined And Taken To Turkey By Lobbyists, Corporations And Advocacy Groups
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Jim NolanPosted
01/30/2013 8:14
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/30/virginia-legislators-gifts-lobbyists_n_2579427.html
Virginia Legislators Go To Turkey
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American Turkish Friendship Association, Ruth's Chris, Virginia
House Of Representatives,Gifts To Virginia Legislators, Gifts To
Politicians, Lobbyists, Redskins, Virginia, Virgin ia Senate, DC News
Dinners at Ruth's Chris. Free tours of Turkey and Taiwan. Tickets to
the Masters golf tournament and Redskins games. Conferences, concerts
and conventions.
Lobbyists, corporations, advocacy groups and associations wined,
dined, feted, flew to foreign lands and otherwise schmoozed Virginia's
legislators last year to the tune of more than $221,000, according to
Statements of Economic Interests filed with the clerks of the House
of Delegates and Virginia Senate.
The amount of gift giving was down slightly from the 2011 total of
roughly $245,000, but still the third-highest amount in the past nine
years, according to an analysis by the Virginia Public Access Project,
a nonpartisan tracker of money in politics. More than 170 donors were
listed in the filing.
Leading the pack in donations was Dominion Virginia Power, which
showered lawmakers with more than $23,000 in freebies. Not far behind
was the American Turkish Friendship Association, which spent more than
$21,000 on eight trips to Turkey. In the past three years, ATFA has
taken 24 lawmakers and their spouses on free tours, according to VPAP.
Conspicuously down the list of donors this year was Virginia Uranium,
which spent thousands in 2011 to send legislators to France and Canada
to tour uranium mining operations as part of its lobbying effort to
lift the mining moratorium in Virginia. In 2012, the company only
spent $437 on seven gifts, according to the filings.
Leading the list of legislative recipients was Sen. Thomas K.
Norment, Jr., R-James City, the Senate majority leader, who accepted
$11,799 in gifts -- including more than $9,000 in free travel from
the Virginia Sheriffs' Association and more than $1,500 in free travel
from Dominion.
Lawmakers are required to list gifts with a value in excess of $50.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Jim NolanPosted
01/30/2013 8:14
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/30/virginia-legislators-gifts-lobbyists_n_2579427.html
Virginia Legislators Go To Turkey
1
4
0
0
GET DC ALERTS: SIGN UP
FOLLOW:
American Turkish Friendship Association, Ruth's Chris, Virginia
House Of Representatives,Gifts To Virginia Legislators, Gifts To
Politicians, Lobbyists, Redskins, Virginia, Virgin ia Senate, DC News
Dinners at Ruth's Chris. Free tours of Turkey and Taiwan. Tickets to
the Masters golf tournament and Redskins games. Conferences, concerts
and conventions.
Lobbyists, corporations, advocacy groups and associations wined,
dined, feted, flew to foreign lands and otherwise schmoozed Virginia's
legislators last year to the tune of more than $221,000, according to
Statements of Economic Interests filed with the clerks of the House
of Delegates and Virginia Senate.
The amount of gift giving was down slightly from the 2011 total of
roughly $245,000, but still the third-highest amount in the past nine
years, according to an analysis by the Virginia Public Access Project,
a nonpartisan tracker of money in politics. More than 170 donors were
listed in the filing.
Leading the pack in donations was Dominion Virginia Power, which
showered lawmakers with more than $23,000 in freebies. Not far behind
was the American Turkish Friendship Association, which spent more than
$21,000 on eight trips to Turkey. In the past three years, ATFA has
taken 24 lawmakers and their spouses on free tours, according to VPAP.
Conspicuously down the list of donors this year was Virginia Uranium,
which spent thousands in 2011 to send legislators to France and Canada
to tour uranium mining operations as part of its lobbying effort to
lift the mining moratorium in Virginia. In 2012, the company only
spent $437 on seven gifts, according to the filings.
Leading the list of legislative recipients was Sen. Thomas K.
Norment, Jr., R-James City, the Senate majority leader, who accepted
$11,799 in gifts -- including more than $9,000 in free travel from
the Virginia Sheriffs' Association and more than $1,500 in free travel
from Dominion.
Lawmakers are required to list gifts with a value in excess of $50.