One of the "consultants" [Ed Note: lobbyists] for the Livingston Group is none other than Virginia Del. Tim Hugo. One of their clients is the National Milk Producers Federation. Interestingly enough, Frank Wolf voted against HR 4015 (passed as S 2120):
Milk Regulatory Equity Act of 2005 - Amends the the Agricultural Adjustment Act, reenacted with amendments by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, to subject specified Class I milk handlers (including producer-handlers) to federal milk marketing order minimum and uniform price requirements applicable to the county in which the plant of the handler is located, at federal order class prices, if the handler has packaged fluid milk product route dispositions, or sales of packaged fluid milk products to other plants, in a marketing area located in a state that requires handlers to pay minimum prices for raw milk purchases.
Exempts from such provision: (1) a handler operating a nonpool plant; (2) a producer-handler for any month during which packaged fluid milk route dispositions and sales to other plants are less than three million pounds of milk; or (3) specified handlers whose fluid milk products are disposed of as route dispositions or transfers, or whose dispositions or transfers are in states requiring minimum prices for raw milk purchases.
Subjects a Class I milk handler in the Arizona-Las Vegas marketing area (Order 131) to minimum milk price requirements for any month in which the handler distributes in such area at least three million pounds of Class I products from his or her own production.
States that minimum milk price and exemption provisions under this Act shall not be construed as affecting, expanding, or contracting the treatment of producer-handlers except as provided for by such provisions.
Excludes Nevada from federal milk marketing orders.House Republicans voted for the bill (285-128).
The Livingston group is very proud of it's unfettered access into the White House. From their site:
Looking for Influence in All the Right Places
"So great is Mr. Livingston's sway inside Republican circles that he did not have to pick up the phone to contact Mr. Lewis (Chairman of House Appropriations Committee). Instead, Mr. Lewis has phoned him several times to talk about how Congress might best help the Gulf Coast, said John Scofield, a spokesman for the committee, +óGé¼-£because the chairman sees him as someone who has a wealth of information and the institutional memory.+óGé¼Gäó"
+óGé¼+ôIn mid-September, Mr. Livingston sent an e-mail message on Mr. McDonald's behalf to a presidential aide, and by day's end Mr. McDonald was talking to a White House assistant.+óGé¼-¥
Gavin Rivlin
New York Times
October 18, 2005
And don't forget the gas and oil industry:
"Energy Firm Taps Washington Power for Offshore Project
"+óGé¼-ªthanks to a well-oiled and politically seasoned lobbying machine and a White House friendly to energy exploration, (ChevronTexaco Corp.) now is on the verge of scoring a legislative victory that could expedite the process.
"Once the Bush administration's pro-exploration report was issued, the company's lobbying operation kicked into gear with the help of one of the capital's most prominent insiders +óGé¼GÇ£ former House Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert L. Livingston, Jr. R-La. (1977-99)."
By Peter Cohn, Staff Writer
Congressional Quarterly
March 29, 2002
Frank Wolf is taking money from one of the top 10 lobbyist groups, which has help Texaco/Chevron get drilling rights for offshore drilling, the same drilling that they don't have to pay royalties on right now. I wonder what $7,650 buys you in Congress.