House panel will consider changing lobbying rules

An Iowa House panel will send a letter noting a violation by the Iowa Pharmacy Association for failing to file a timely report detailing its spending on a reception attended by lawmakers.

The Iowa House Ethics Committee's action Wednesday meant they assessed no formal penalty against the association.

But committee members vowed to take a broader look at possible reforms to disclosures required by lobbyists and lobbying groups.

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement made a complaint against the Iowa Pharmacy Association for failing to file the report five days after the event.

The omission came to light when Gov. Chet Culver said he attended the pharmacy association's Feb. 10 reception in the hours before state Rep. Kerry Burt's arrest on a drunken driving charge.

The association's Executive Vice President and CEO Thomas Temple has said he's “fairly certain” Burt also attended the reception.

The pharmacy association has attributed the late filing due to an oversight, and has said they have made changes to ensure it doesn't happen again. The association ultimately reported spending $2,926 on the reception.

Adam Mason, state policy organizing director for CCI, said he was encouraged by the committee's review of their ethics complaint and their willingness to make changes to the reporting process.

Mason said CCI members have kept their eye on who is trying to buy influence and gain extra access to lawmakers. CCI's tally showed 26 lobbying groups filed late reports.

“We don't expect these lobbyist functions to go away,” Mason said. “What we do want to make sure of is that Iowans have access to the information so that we know who's trying to gain that access and influence.”

The ethics committee declined to ask a special counsel to investigate the matter, noting the cost and that facts surrounding what happened were not in dispute.

Rep. Helen Miller, a Democrat from Ft. Dodge and chairwoman of the ethics committee, said it was time to look at filing requirements. She said the goal is to ensure transparency.

"We want to encourage the public to look at and help us make sure that we do our jobs, and everybody else does theirs,” Miller said.

Many of the receptions held during the legislative session are not held specifically for lawmakers, Miller said, and are open to the public.

“I think that too many people think that we're just down here partying night after night after night. Most legislators don't even attend these events,” Miller said.

Mark Brandsgard, chief clerk of the Iowa House, proposed several changes to reporting rules for lobbyists and their clients. They include requiring functions to pre-register their events and automatically posting delinquent filers online. The time limit for filing the reports also would be extended from five business days to four weeks under the proposal.

The Senate Ethics Committee took no action against the pharmacy association in a decision last month. Senate President Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg, said then that lawmakers planned to consider more oversight and sanctions for those who fail to meet the reporting requirements.