Government
Amid Lobbying Surge, Senate Passes Drug Substitution Bill
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The Kentucky Senate passed a bill this week that would allow pharmacists to dispense cheaper versions of biologic drugs, even though no such alternatives are yet on the market.
Government
Drug Company Lobbying Has Doubled In Kentucky In Recent Years
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Drug companies and drug industry groups, flush with money to spend on lobbyists, are flocking to Frankfort like never before.
Politics
Heavy-Spending Trucking Industry Pushes Congress to Relax Safety Rules
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This story was reported and produced by FairWarning. Big rig crashes kill nearly 4,000 Americans each year and injure more than 85,000. Since 2009, fatalities involving large trucks have increased 17 percent. Injuries have gone up 28 percent. Given these numbers, you might expect Congress to be agitating for tighter controls on big rigs.
Politics
Did Kentucky Congressman Give an Assist to Wife, Failing Tech Company?
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An examination of Congressman Ed Whitfield’s ties to a failing tech company, which featured his wife as a board member. Whitfield didn’t disclose the relationship in a Congressional hearing and later told reporters his wife had no stock or involvement in the company, when she did.
Government
Ethics Committee to Investigate Congressman Ed Whitfield, Wife’s Lobbying Work
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A congressional ethics subcommittee has been directed to investigate whether U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield violated House rules in connection with his wife’s lobbying work for The Humane Society of the United States.
Government
A Deeper Look at the Lobbying Over Kentucky Beer Distribution
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Although the battle over how beer gets to consumers will be openly fought in the Kentucky General Assembly this month, the campaign to win the votes of lawmakers actually began in 2014.
Politics
Congressman Ed Whitfield Denies Wrongdoing Alleged in Ethics Complaints
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Whitfield said his lobbyist wife “most certainly did not convince me” to sponsor or support legislation. He also acknowledged a second ethics complaint against him, the focus of a recent KyCIR report.
Politics
Congressman Ed Whitfield of Kentucky Under House Ethics Investigation
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A House committee on Friday announced an inquiry into a possible ethics violation by U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky. The statement followed an investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics, which concluded there was “substantial reason to believe” that Whitfield had committed one or more ethics violations. The House Committee on Ethics’ brief news release noted that it had reached no conclusion about whether a violation had in fact occurred, and it did not disclose the nature of Whitfield’s alleged misconduct. Its announcement follows reports by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting that showed Whitfield, his wife, and a nationally-known lobbyist had a joint financial interest in residential property at a West Virginia luxury resort, from 2003 through 2013. KyCIR found that Whitfield’s wife — a lobbyist for the Humane Society’s Legislative Fund — and lobbyist Juanita Duggan both advocated for clients that had business before Whitfield in Congress.
Politics
Congressman’s Wife: No One Cares About ‘Untoward Dealings’ of Lawmakers, Lobbyists
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Our latest investigation into money, politics and ethics explored the business ties between longtime U.S. Congressman Ed Whitfield, his lobbyist wife, and another well-known lobbyist. For more than a decade, the trio was linked in a financial partnership — a land deal at a luxury resort in West Virginia. Meanwhile, the two lobbyists had clients and employers with business before Whitfield in Congress. The Congressman didn’t respond to our 10 inquiries. His wife, lobbyist Connie Harriman-Whitfield, did.
Politics
Kentucky Congressman Ed Whitfield’s Ethics Under Scrutiny Before
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U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield generally flies under the radar. But his connections and financial ties to a lobbyist have generated unwelcome publicity for him before. Whitfield’s wife, Connie Harriman-Whitfield, is a paid lobbyist for the Humane Society’s Legislative Fund. Last December, Politico explored Congressman Whitfield’s support of controversial animal-welfare legislation promoted by his wife and the Humane Society. The Legislative Fund has donated at least $8,000 to Whitfield since 2011, when his wife began lobbying for it.