STUDY: GOP ENJOYS TOBACCO'S PERKS

WASHINGTON--Republicans in Congress took numerous rides aboard jets owned by
tobacco companies in the 17 months before the GOP killed a Senate tobacco
bill the industry strongly opposed, a Democratic study of election records
shows. The report by Democrats on the House Government Reform and Oversight
Committee also showed that a wide array of other corporations -from the
health industry to casino and insurance interests -provide jet travel to
lawmakers of both parties. Federal election law requires the lawmakers to
reimburse companies for the travel.

As House Republicans prepare to defend their 11 -seat majority in this
fall's elections, Rep. Henry Waxman, the ranking Democrat on the panel, said
the report is evidence that the GOP killed a broad anti-smoking bill last
month as a favor to the tobacco industry.

"As far as Republicans are concerned, 'Air Tobacco' is their official
airlines," said Waxman, D-Calif., who issued the report Monday.

"As far as tobacco companies are concerned, this is a way for them to buy
greater influence with Republicans who run the Congress."

The anti-smoking bill sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., would have
charged the industry at least $516 billion over 25 years and denied
companies the lawsuit protection they demand.

The report, which analyzed federal election records of the number of
reimbursement payments between January 1997 and May, shows tobacco companies
provided lawmakers more private air travel than any other corporate
interest, and that Republicans by far received the bulk of such perks.

Waxman, one of Congress' staunchest smoking foes and a leading proponent of
campaign finance reform legislation, said the study of Federal Election
Commission records found that of the 236 Republican travel payments to
corporations, 84 of them went to the tobacco industry.

In contrast, Democratic entities made 23 payments to corporations.
Democratic staff members said they could find no Democratic payments to
tobacco companies.

Federal election laws require lawmakers to report the amount of the
reimbursement, the date of payment and the name of the recipient. But no
other details are required of lawmakers, which makes it impossible to
determine how many flights were taken by each lawmaker.

Waxman said his staff tried to get that information from Republicans, who
refused.

Democrats charged that despite the reimbursements -at the cost of
first-class or charter airfare -the private jet trips amount to subsidized
travel in accommodations far more luxurious than upgraded commercial seats,
and cheaper than the cost of chartering a private plane. Companies pick up
the remainder of the cost, which can be tens of thousands of dollars.

Republicans say they reimbursed the companies for the cost of the flights
according to federal election laws. Since those same laws often require
lawmakers to write several checks for the reimbursement of the cost of one
flight, the number of checks written does not accurately reflect the
frequency with which Republicans used tobacco company planes. No Republicans
interviewed could provide an accurate count of the number of private flights
their lawmakers made.

The Democratic report contains "a wildly inflated count," said Republican
National Committee spokesman Mike Collins.

Waxman's own report proves that the industry "had no influence over
(legislative) decisions whatsoever," said Rep. John Linder, R-Ga., chairman
of the National Republican Congressional Committee, because it accuses the
GOP of being influenced by tobacco companies even when the party was
pursuing a bill tobacco companies staunchly opposed.

Copyright Los Angeles Times

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett