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If you can’t take their money and vote against ‘em anyway, you don’t belong in the Legislature

Friday, Sep 9, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sun-Times headline…

Juul Labs, target of $440 million settlement, has given Illinois pols over $120,000 since 2020

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch has been a major recipient of the company’s giving, campaign-finance records show.

* Lede…

Juul Labs — the e-cigarette giant that just agreed to a nearly $440 million settlement with states around the country that accused it of hooking minors on vaping and masking its dangers — has given more than $120,000 to Illinois politicians’ campaign funds since 2020, records show.

* Scroll way down almost to the end…

In February 2021, two bills were introduced in Illinois taking aim at e-cigarettes and were overwhelmingly approved by legislators and signed into law in August 2021 by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

One of the laws “prohibits the use of cartoons, video game characters and popular children’s media to promote e-cigarette products.” It also forbids sellers from marketing e-cigarettes as a “low-risk product.”

A companion law allows regulators “to conduct compliance checks of retailers . . . to investigate whether such retailers are selling tobacco products, alternative nicotine products or e-cigarettes to persons under 21 years of age.”

Among the sponsors was state Sen. Christopher Belt, D-East St. Louis, who took two campaign contributions, in 2020 and 2021, totaling $2,500, from Juul, campaign-finance records show. Belt couldn’t be reached.

* OK, not one Democratic legislator singled out in that story voted against either of those bills that whacked the vape industry. The only “No” votes on either bill were by Republican Reps. Frese, Halbrook, Jacobs, McCombie, Miller (no relation), Niemerg and Wilhour. They’re not mentioned in the story.

Rep. Jacobs received $16,250 from Juul parent company Altria, Rep. Freese received $5,000 from Altria and Rep. Halbrook received $1,500 from the company. The company gave $156,250 to House Republican caucus committees. Juul has given $10K to House Republican organizations, including $5,000 when Rep. McCombie chaired the HRO. None of those contributions were mentioned. Whatever. They’re in the super-minority, but still.

* Now, maybe those contributions to the super-majority Democrats lessened the impact of those bills. I have no idea, and, according to the above article, neither does the Sun-Times. So, perhaps the headline should be that most legislators who received money from Altria/Juul followed the Molly Ivins/Jesse Unruh maxim about legislating, which is an expanded version of the headline on this post.

13 Comments

- Donnie Elgin - Friday, Sep 9, 22 @ 10:06 am:
Money equals speech so I have no problem with the donations or how the legislators responded.

- Arsenal - Friday, Sep 9, 22 @ 10:14 am:
The old saw is that donations buy you access, not a vote. You get a chance to make your case, but frankly if you can’t convince them that there’s more votes your way then the other way, you’re not gonna get ‘em.

- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Friday, Sep 9, 22 @ 10:26 am:
Feeling betrayed by a politician indicates a general ignorance of the animal.

- Curious citizen - Friday, Sep 9, 22 @ 10:36 am:
It just doesn’t seem like $120,000 over a couple years is all that much to make a big deal about

- frsutrated GOP - Friday, Sep 9, 22 @ 10:51 am:
there was a great quote in the west wing by Allen Alda, “If you can’t drink their booze, eat their food and tell them to go to hell, you don’t belong in this business.
And every side of the conversation knows the deal. The money is good so long as the sins of the giver are small. Once they cross the line, no level of money can save you from someone who needs to stand for re-election.

- Dotnonymous - Friday, Sep 9, 22 @ 11:14 am:
Neither “Juul” or parent company “Altria” sound like names for a deadly product, eh?

Sometimes… people give me money for nothing…just because.

- Hamlet on the Potomac - Friday, Sep 9, 22 @ 12:48 pm:
Jacobs…talk about ineffective.

- thisjustinagain - Friday, Sep 9, 22 @ 12:56 pm:
Politics is a money game, and the lobbyists apparently didn’t spend enough to gain enough influence, unlike others (*cough* ComEd *cough*).

- JS Mill - Friday, Sep 9, 22 @ 1:10 pm:
= (*cough* ComEd *cough*).=

And now *cough* the are *cough, cough* being prosecuted.

- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 9, 22 @ 1:24 pm:
Access is the value.

“Never take the money” when the ties bring something other than advocacy.

Lobbyists crave access. If money is access… it’s when it’s more than access.

- PublicServant - Friday, Sep 9, 22 @ 3:13 pm:
=== Money equals speech… ===

Not in my book, pal. What it is is an anonymous bullhorn that drowns out free speech by people who actually put themselves out in the public square to be heard. We need to legislate the horrible Citizen’s United decision out of existence.

- SaulGoodman - Friday, Sep 9, 22 @ 3:29 pm:
PublicServant — none of these contributions are related to Citizens United.

- PublicServant - Friday, Sep 9, 22 @ 3:37 pm:
=== none of these contributions are related to Citizens United. ===

They served as impetus for my rant, however, and I stand by it.

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