Column -- The Smell of Freebies

It was a bad idea, but the smoked salmon was delicious.

It was my first month covering the Iowa Legislature. Another young reporter and I decided to check out a nighttime reception put on by some special interest group.

It was 12 years ago, so I honestly can't remember which one.

Maybe we'd hear some hot, newsy gossip. And a break from ramen noodles would be nice.

We walked into a big room at a downtown hotel. There were cheese and meat trays and appetizers and a huge smoked salmon with all the trimmings. Across the room there was a bartender handing out beers. In between were legislators and their hosts chatting and stuffing their faces.

The joint was oozing with schmoozing. And from the get-go, we felt uncomfortable. But it was a learning experience.

I learned that it's tough to escape a tipsy lawmaker determined to tell you all his good ideas. I learned that Schoolhouse Rock's “I'm Just a Bill” left out critical details about how laws are made. And I learned that politicians are about the last people I want to socialize with voluntarily.

So we left to find a nice respectable bar.

I recalled that night as special interest shindigs are drawing scrutiny.

People are getting a peek into receptions after State Rep. Kerry Burt, D-Waterloo, got busted for drunken driving after attending one. That $7,100 fiesta was sponsored by the Iowa Pharmacy Association, which then failed to file a timely disclosure report on the event.

That didn't sit well with Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, which filed an ethics complaint. The group found that 26 other party-givers also blew off disclosure rules.

Some insist this is much ado about nothing. Others say where there's Little Smokies, there's blazing malfeasance.

I don't care if groups throw parties. But I think lawmakers ought to pay their own freight. No more freebies. Nothing curbs the appetite quite like having to dig into your own pocket.

Most lawmakers already get paid $86 daily during the session for living expenses. Thirsty for a Heineken? Pay for it. And they should report what they spend, just to make sure nobody's getting a special discount.

Maybe that will kill off receptions. Fine with me.

Lobbyists already have lots of access to lawmakers at the Statehouse. A lot more access than most Iowans.

Groups don't put out a spread to be nice. They want something in return. I'm not saying a lawmakers can be bribed with smoked salmon.

But as long as it's free, it's always going to smell fishy.

¦ Todd Dorman's column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Contact the writer: (319) 398-8452 or todd.dorman@gazcomm.com