Not surprisingly, lobbying disclosure reports indicate that Mattel and Hasbro massively increased their lobbying budgets in the months after the scandal broke, with Mattel’s lobbying expenditures (to be distinguished from campaign contributions) increasing from $60,000 in the first half of 2007 to $480,000 in the second half. This pace continued through at least the first three quarters of 2008.
Much more surprising, at least at first glance, is the position these companies took with respect to this legislation. For instance, in hearing testimony on November 6, 2007, Kathrin Belliveau of Hasbro and Joseph McGuire of the big-business dominated National Association of Manufacturers testified before Congress that they supported this legislation, with only minor modifications requested. Importantly, both testified that they supported the testing requirements that will likely be particularly devastating to small and medium-sized businesses and domestic manufacturers.
Let's just say I'm not surprised.
No comments:
Post a Comment