Senator seeks info on lobbying by USA, other schools
By Sean Reilly
Alabama Press Register
August 10, 2006
WASHINGTON -- An Oklahoma senator is asking more than a hundred colleges and universities across the country, including the University of South Alabama and four other state schools, to explain their use of paid lobbyists to pursue congressionally earmarked money.
In his recent letter, U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, a Republican, asked the presidents of USA, Auburn University and the three University of Alabama campuses to spell out their policies and practices on those issues.
Coburn also sought a list of all federal appropriations received since 2000, along with information on what that funding was meant to accomplish.
The schools were among about 110 nationally from whom Coburn, who chairs a federal financial management subcommittee and is often critical of earmarking, requested the data by Sept. 1.
He is "open" to holding a hearing on the findings later on, spokesman John Hart said Wednesday.
In his July 27 letter, Coburn said he wants the information because of the schools' role in research and development, which is heavily dependent on taxpayer dollars.
Coburn's inquiry was first reported Monday by the Capitol Hill newspaper, Roll Call.
On Wednesday, USA spokesman Keith Ayers said he was unsure whether the school had received Coburn's request but said officials will "definitely cooperate eagerly."
Across the country, universities' reliance on earmarked money has skyrocketed in the last decade, with Alabama schools among the top recipients.
In its last comprehensive rundown three years ago, The Chronicle of Higher Education, a trade publication based in Washington, D.C., found that Alabama colleges and universities ranked sixth in the country in 2003 with almost $88 million.
Detractors frequently deride the money as "pork" and question the wisdom of letting politicians decide where coveted research funds should go.
But in USA's case, Ayers said, the money goes to "people-oriented programs" such as the school's cancer institute. "It improves the quality of life for this region," Ayers said.
The trend has also improved the incomes of numerous Washington, D.C., lobbyists. Last year, the five Alabama schools queried by Coburn spent a combined total of more than $800,000 on contract lobbying, according to disclosure reports filed with the Senate Office of Public Records. USA's share was $300,000, which was split among three firms, the reports show.
The principals in those companies include Stewart Hall, a former staffer for U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa; Michael Sharp, who worked for retired U.S. Rep. Sonny Callahan, R-Mobile; and Randy Hinaman, a consultant now involved in the re-election campaign of U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Mobile.
Auburn reported spending a total of $60,000 on one firm. For the University of Alabama System, which covers campuses in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Huntsville, contract lobbying costs amounted to $460,000 -- most of which went to a firm that includes former staffers for Shelby and U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, the disclosure reports show. The remainder went to Hinaman's firm.
Happy Fulford, USA's director of governmental relations, attributed the school's use of outside lobbyists in part to its efforts to attract funding for the cancer institute. For the last fiscal year, Congress earmarked $20 million toward the project.
This year, Fulford said, the school has dropped Hinaman's firm.
While Hinaman and his partner, Don Smith, did a "good job," Fulford said, "we kind of felt like we had accomplished a lot of the things we needed to and obviously we were trying to reduce our cost."
