The Virginian-Pilot
©
A Hampton Roads lawmaker was the leading recipient of gifts and free trips from private interests last year among the 140 members of the Virginia General Assembly.
Del. John Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake, received gifts and trips valued at $15,775 - almost as much as his $17,640 annual salary as a delegate.
But if his biggest benefactor was trying to win his favor, Cosgrove said Monday, it didn't work.
The bulk of the largesse directed at Cosgrove was the $12,449 spent by Virginia Uranium, the company lobbying to establish a uranium mine in Pittsylvania County. The company sent Cosgrove and several other lawmakers to visit a mine site in France.
The purpose of the trip, Cosgrove said, was to reassure the Virginia legislators that uranium could be mined safely with no chance of contaminating Lake Gaston, a major source of Hampton Roads' drinking water that lies downstream from the proposed mine site.
But the trip convinced him of the exact opposite, Cosgrove said.
"They never showed us beyond any doubt that there couldn't be some catastrophic effect on our drinking water," he said. "I came back thinking that uranium mining is probably not in the best interest of Hampton Roads."
Altogether, Virginia Uranium showered $120,000 on Virginia lawmakers last year, nearly half the $245,000 total value of the gifts that lawmakers received, according to a compilation of legislators' financial disclosure statements by the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonprofit tracker of money in politics.
The target of Virginia Uranium's lobbying - Virginia's 30-year-old ban on uranium mining - will stay on the books for at least one more year. Gov. Bob McDonnell and the Assembly leadership have postponed consideration of the issue until the 2013 Assembly session.
Besides Cosgrove, four other lawmakers representing South Hampton Roads were among the top 10 recipients of gifts and trips from private sources last year. All four - Del. Lionell Spruill Sr., D-Chesapeake; Del. Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach; Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton; and Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth - went to France on Virginia Uranium's dime.
Dominion, the Richmond-based utility, was the second-biggest source of gifts and trips to legislators, with $15,000 statewide.
Two local lawmakers, Del. Harry "Bob" Purkey, R-Virginia Beach, and Sen. Harry Blevins, R-Chesapeake, were among 15 legislators who reported no gifts or trips.
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
no to Redskins ticket and such
Many "D" and "R" elected officials received Redskins tickets or dinners from companies. That is very wrong (not just because of the team).
Companies should be allowed to pay for travel for research (like the uranium mining) but with very heavy restrictions such as who is allowed to accompany and NEVER as just one or two officials, and only in economy or coach without being allowed to upgrade. Hotels and such must be reported with the average price listed on a public website.
The sad part is that we can track the status of bills submitted on the official legislative website, but the Pilot had to collect the information for us.
Come on senators and delegates (and staff), be TRANSPARENT with the info at ONE location.
Perspective
Reviewing the comments, this discussion may best be summed up as, if a person from the other party did it, it is the rankest form of corruption, typical of their efforts to undermine representative democracy and the American way of life, while if a person from my party did it, it is an unimportant issue that is being blown out far out of proportion by unethical opportunists from the opposing party.
it doesn't matter
how corrupt they are and how much they don't listen to the citizens, we'll re-elect them time and time again. Suckers!
Where are the Conservatives at?
Whats the big fuss all about if Obama changed his mind?. The conservatives do it all the time. Reagan was dependent upon Trickle down economics, he later had to raise taxes 7 times. Bush Sr said no taxes, what did he do he raise taxes. Clinton inherited a 11 trillion dollar tax deficit and balance the budget and gave Bush Jr. a surplus. What happens next boggles my mind. Our government change there minds all the time. Obama would be a fool to be in a competition and take take advantage of the rules of the game.
By the way whats all this Conservative nonsense? What President that you know of lately really cares about your tax dollar. We have corporate welfare and we have social welfare. Stop with this class warfare nonsense.
RE Where are the Conservatives at?
Right here!!! How's Obamas trickle up poverty working?? Rasing taxes,ok Here's the difference," Obama admits using tax policy to promote “fairness” not to raise revenue"
1.Reagan Warned us of a socialist Norman Thomas intentions of Socialized health care/Obama shoved it down Americas throats.
2.Reagan Built up our Military/Obama gutted it.
3.Reagan cleaned up the dictator loving Carters mess/Obama created another mess and record spending in the trillions and unemployment is still high!
So ask your self how's that hope and change working out for ya?? The biggest problem conservatives have with this liar is he's a hypocrite!
hypocrite: A person who engages in the same behaviors he condemns others for. Barack Hussein Obama
Database - ease of use
The database would be a lot more useful if one could select a legislator, and the option to select all donors.
VPAP
You can get this information. Go to www.vpap.org. You can check donations by donors and check what each member of the GA took in in gifts and contributions.
Oh my! And Pelosi made how
Oh my! And Pelosi made how much on Bank of America because of her "inside" knowledge??? I doubt any of them ever stayed awake in an ethics class and we know that already so what is this article all about anyway.
Too bad...
France didn't keep Lucus.
What's the problem?
I don't know about the rest of you guys but if they offered me a trip to France and were going to pay for it then why not? I get to fly first class, sleep in a nice hotel, eat some of the best food in the world, and check out a mine first hand and see the plans put in place to prevent an ecological disaster. I may not be a geologist, environmentalist, scientist, or other edumicated person but I do know how to look at a project and realize "This ain't for us". It would appear that that's what happened here, despite that contributions made by Virginia Uranium.
Besides the alternatives are drug testing, abortion, and gun control bills. God knows those are all pressing items as opposed to jobs, taxes, transportation, and economic recovery.