Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
Let me introduce you to Stephen Acquario. He’s a lobbyist who spends much of his time in New York’s State House. He is the executive director and counsel of the New York State Association of Counties. He earns $204,000 a year—more than the governor of New York. He also gets to drive around in a Ford Explorer, his company car. And even though Acquario is NOT a government employee, he IS entitled to a full public pension.
According to a recent review by the Associated Press, Acquario is one of hundreds of lobbyists working in a number of states who qualify for public pensions “because they represent associations of counties, cities and school boards.” The Associated Press reported that state legislatures had “granted them access decades ago on the premise that they serve governments and the public. In many cases, such access also includes state health care benefits.”
Mark Karlin, editor of BuzzFlash at Truthout, wrote a commentary on the subject of lobbyists getting taxpayer funded pensions. In his commentary, Karlin said that during a period of austerity “when a key goal of those with means is to cut pensions that have been fairly earned by public employees, it is astonishing to read that some lobbyists in 40% of US states get paid pensions from the public trough.” He added, “Many of these non-governmental employees represent lobbying associations at the forefront of trying to reduce public pensions while ensuring that they keep their own, even though their salaries are not paid by any governmental body.” He said it was “preposterously hypocritical.” He added that it was “another scam wrapped in a lofty excuse”—pointing out that Acquario claims “that his group gives local government a voice in the statehouse, and the perk of a state pension makes it easier to hire people with government expertise.”
Karlin continued:
The revolving door of incestuous government insiders turning around and becoming lobbyists — in this case working for a guy who makes more than senators and most governors — just won’t supply good enough personnel unless the taxpayers pay for private employee pensions, Acquario argues. Say what?”
Keith Brainard, research director of the National Association of State Retirement Administrators, said, “There is liability for taxpayers. Providing a pension benefit involves some amount of risk for the state and when you provide access to employees of entities that are not in control of the state.” As the AP reported, “Unlike state government, for example, these groups aren’t bound by salary restrictions — significant salary increases would result in increasing pension benefits.”
Michael Kink of the Strong Economy for All Coalition said, “It’s clear that there’s a big problem with hypocrisy when these lobbyists have been pushing austerity and benefit cuts for other government workers while they themselves enjoy solid state pensions. Do as I say, not as I do’ seems to be their approach on retirement cuts.” Kink added “Workers who have faced cuts in pay and pensioners have a right to be angry — as do voters.”
According to the AP report, these groups that lobby for states and counties take positions “that could conflict with taxpayer interests, such as advocating to weaken caps on property tax increases and boosting state school aid.”
From Occupy.com:
For a large number of state lobbyists, a full state pension is part of the benefits package. Despite being employees of private organizations and drawing private salaries — sometimes in excess of any state employee’s — in at least 20 states, hundreds receive state-paid retirement benefits…
The states that have such provisions include Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Washington State.
SOURCES
Lobbyists can get public pensions in 20 states: Critics question whether system hurts taxpayers (Boston Globe/AP)
Where’s the Outrage? Some Lobbyists Get Taxpayer Funded Pensions in 20 States (Truth-Out)
Why Are Privately Employed Lobbyists Getting State-Funded Pensions? (Occupy.com)
Lobbyists getting State pensions (CBS Albany)
State Pensions — A Loophole for Lobbyists (AARP)
N.J. group funded by tax dollars also represents private interests (NorthJersey.com)
Questions over spending by NJ Counties Association (Trentonian/Associated Press)
Lobbyists Collecting New York State Pensions (WGRZ)
Private Lobbyists Earning Taxpayer Funded Pensions And Healthcare (Forbes)
FURTHER READING
Lobbyist got $99,000 state pension, then filed for unemployment, too (NorthJersey.com)
Top senator: Axe pensions for private lobbyists (Pennsylvania Independent)
How a reporter discovered lobbyists get state pensions (Associated Press)
Powerful Tea Party Group’s Internal Docs Leak—Read Them Here
FreedomWorks bills itself as a grassroots outfit, but it’s bankrolled mostly by big-money donors.
—By Andy Kroll
Fri Jan. 4, 2013
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/12/freedomworks-rich-donors-armey-kibbe-super-pac
Excerpt:
FreedomWorks, the national conservative group that helped launch the tea party movement, sells itself as a genuine grassroots operation, and for years it has battled accusations of “astroturfing”—posing as a populist organization while doing the bidding of big-money donors. Yet internal documents obtained by Mother Jones show that FreedomWorks has indeed become dependent on wealthy individual donors to finance its growing operation.
Last month, the Washington Post reported that Richard Stephenson, a reclusive millionaire banker and FreedomWorks board member, and members of his family funneled $12 million in October through two newly created Tennessee corporations to FreedomWorks’ super-PAC, which used these funds to support tea party candidates in November’s elections. The revelation that a corporate bigwig like Stephenson, who founded the Cancer Treatment Centers of America and chairs its board, was responsible for more than half of the FreedomWorks super-PAC’s haul in 2012 undercuts the group’s grassroots image and hands ammunition to critics who say FreedomWorks does the bidding of rich conservative donors.
Thanks Elaine for the great article. How would one go about tracking down lobbyist drawing pensions in CA? I am particularity interested in the Gas and Oil lobbies. The Orange County Register article demanded payment, something I am unwilling to do.
And people wonder why the Tea Party came into existence.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
They are breaking down the distance between right and wrong.
Not only are NYS representatives virtually sleeping with lobbyists, they are paying them as well. A double whammy. Taxpayers get swindled by lobbyists who divert needed resources to pet projects, but they pay them a retirement package for shafting them!
Editorial: Keep private lobbyists out of public pensions
By The Capital-Journal
Posted: August 28, 2013
http://cjonline.com/opinion/2013-08-28/editorial-keep-private-lobbyists-out-public-pensions
Excerpt:
This newspaper has never been shy about chiding its readers who neglect to keep up with what’s going on at City Hall, the Shawnee County Courthouse or the Statehouse and fail to go to the polls on Election Day.
Our form of government, we like to say, depends on informed and engaged voters.
Well, shame on us. We weren’t aware some lobbyists are eligible for pensions under the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System until we read a recent story by The Associated Press that noted a lobbyist in New York’s statehouse was earning $204,000 a year and also is entitled to a pension from the very government he lobbies. The Associated Press reported several other states, including Kansas, allow some lobbyists to use KPERS.
In our defense, weak as it is, the practice apparently began decades ago, before many of us now at The Topeka Capital- Journal were employed here.
Having been enlightened, however, we don’t like the idea of lobbyists or other people who work in the private sector tapping into a retirement plan dedicated to public employees. Some Kansans have been known to say elected officials, many of whom also have jobs in the private sector, shouldn’t be in the system either, but we don’t see legislators surrendering that perk.
Editorial: Lobbyists shouldn’t get public pensions
California one of many states that permits the practice, which should be ended.
Orange County Register
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/public-523428-lobbyists-pensions.html
Excerpt:
According to an Associated Press exposé, at least 20 states, including California, allow professional lobbyists to collect public pensions.
That means the very people who are paid – frequently very well – to have your tax dollars spent on behalf of their employers enjoy public pensions that are the same, or better, than those we give police, firefighters and teachers.
Lobbyists Get Public Pensions in Missouri and Illinois
August 27, 2013
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2013/08/27/lobbyists-get-public-pensions-in-missouri-and-illinois/
Excerpt:
JEFFERSON CITY, MO. (KMOX) – It’s an eye-opening story for Missouri and Illinois taxpayers.
It turns out Missouri and Illinois are among twenty states that have provided taxpayer money to give some lobbyists state pensions.
Legislators, decades ago, let that happen claiming lobbyists served governments and the public. But after many have pointed out they often have positions that conflict with taxpayers, theres a call to end the practice. Some have even called for legislation to get the money back.
151 NJ lobbyists still get public pensions despite reforms
By The Associated Press
on September 01, 2013
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/09/hundreds_of_nj_lobbyists_still_get_public_pensions_despite_reforms.html
Excerpt;
TRENTON — Two years after GOP Gov. Chris Christie signed a law requiring public workers to contribute significantly more toward their benefits, 151 lobbyists and insurers remain in the state pension system, their pensions and lifetime health care being subsidized by state taxpayers.
The employees are from six groups that either do business with the government, like the New Jersey League of Municipalities, or insure government entities, like the New Jersey School Boards Association, according to the Treasury Department, which oversees the pensions division. Despite several legislative attempts to wean nongovernment employees from the Public Employee Pension System, agreement has been elusive and the effort has stalled.
“Public pensions are for retired public employees who worked hard to serve the taxpayers of New Jersey,” said Assemblyman Parker Space, a northwest Jersey Republican who is co-sponsoring the most recent attempt to shed the outsiders from the state retirement system. “It’s outrageous to think that already overburdened residents are being asked to foot the retirement bills of private-sector lobbyists.”
Space and two other Republicans, Sen. Steve Oroho and Assemblywoman Alison Little McHose, asked again this week that their bill be heard following a report by The Associated Press showing that lobbyists and insurers in 20 states, including New Jersey, are enrolled in the state pension and health care systems.
Well Gene,
Isn’t that standard equipment for all in the land of swap daddy’s…..
But it goes so well with my torch . . .
Gene,
You don’t need a pitchfork unless you’re on the receiving end…. Then you needs horns too….
Wow.. Thanks Elaine…
Steve, Mentioning “fleeced” makes me nostalgic for William Proxmire.
WGN did an investigative report last year of the same trough feeding. Being Illinois and Chicago, I assumed this was atypical. Twenty states having this issue makes it close to typical. I always need to remember when I assume something, the Odd Couple scene where Felix teaches Oscar, “When you “assume” you make an “ass” out of “u” and “me.”
Where is my pitchfork . . .
Reblogged this on Brittius.com.
Perhaps we need to include “Lobbyists” in the definition of “Traitors”
Elaine,
Ditto what Steve F. wrote.
Greed is rampant.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
I have already contacted my State Reps to see what’s going on here in Ohio where these lobbyists are concerned.
Never heard of this one before – thanks for researching/broadcasting another way that the public is being fleeced.