Friday, July 25, 2008

Who wrote the legislation?

Did Republican Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist and current candidate for Congress, allow representatives of the insurance industry to write insurance legislation for the state of Ohio? You decide. LifeSettlements Wire (5/6/08):

Ohio state Sen. Steve Stivers told about 25 representatives of the life insurance and life settlements industries to reach a compromise on life settlement legislation or risk that neither group may like what legislators come up with.

The gathering in Columbus, Ohio, occurred on May 6, according to Shawn Busken, legislative aide for the senator. Stivers is chairman of the state Senate's Insurance, Commerce and Labor Committee.

"He put them together and said, 'It's in your best interest to negotiate this. Otherwise you'll be stuck with the decisions of the committee and the will of the committee, and it might not be in your favor,'" Busken said.....

Aren't these legislative committees obligated to write bills to protect citizens? Why did Stivers allow these insurance people to have this much input for insurance legislation? Did these insurance executives write the insurance legislation to fit their needs and then hand it to Stivers? What do you think?

In case you are interested, the insurance PACs have been very, very good to Steve Stivers.
FEC (Federal Elections Commission):

AETNA INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 02/08/2008 1000.00 28930797613
AFLAC INCORPORATED POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE AFLACPAC 12/13/2007 1000.00 28990042902
AFLAC INCORPORATED POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE AFLACPAC 02/14/2008 2000.00 28990549876
ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 12/12/2007 1000.00 28930088906
AMERICAN COUNCIL OF LIFE INSURERS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 11/15/2007 1000.00 27931662857
AMERICAN COUNCIL OF LIFE INSURERS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 12/10/2007 750.00 28990073460
AMERICAN COUNCIL OF LIFE INSURERS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 05/16/2008 1000.00 28931879358
GRANGE MUTUAL CASUALTY COMPANY PAC 01/23/2008 2500.00 28039703455
GRANGE MUTUAL CASUALTY COMPANY PAC 02/11/2008 2500.00 28039703455
GROWTH AND PROSPERITY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 03/07/2008 2500.00 2
INDEPENDENT INSURANCE AGENTS & BROKERS OF AMERICA, INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (INSURP 03/03/2008 2500.00 28990884991
LIBERTY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY - PAC 02/16/2008 5000.00 28930822603

METLIFE INC. EMPLOYEES' POLITICAL PARTICIPATION FUND A 03/03/2008 2000.00 28931175352
MOTORISTS MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY CIVIC FUND 11/14/2007 500.00 28990046408
MOTORISTS MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY CIVIC FUND 11/30/2007 250.00 28990046408
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL ADVISORS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 12/02/2007 5000.00 28930313952
NATIONWIDE POLITICAL PARTICIPATION COMMITTEE 12/06/2007 5000.00 28930736480
NATIONWIDE POLITICAL PARTICIPATION COMMITTEE 03/05/2008 1000.00 28931025254
NATIONWIDE POLITICAL PARTICIPATION COMMITTEE 03/13/2008 4000.00 28931025254
NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE, THE 03/05/2008 1000.00 28990802373
PROFESSIONAL INSURANCE AGENTS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 04/29/2008 500.00 28931584599
WELLPOINT INC. WELLPAC 11/27/2007 2500.00 27991033656
WESTFIELD EMPLOYEE FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE OF OHIO FARMERS INSURANCE COMPANY 11/27/2007 5000.00 28930021451

I'm sorry if I've omitted any insurance contributor to the Stivers campaign.

Meanwhile, Stivers is still whining about how he could not get the camp background check loophole fixed. If he really wanted to fix the loophole, he would have gotten it done. He pushed teacher background checks and legislation was passed at the speed of light. The camp background checks are even more important because children often spend the entire summer in sleepover camps.

Stivers seems to have his priorities mixed up. Does he care more for insurance/oil/bank PACs than the little campers?