Rep. Scott Schwab, R-Olathe, said a testy confrontation with Koch Industries executives led to him losing the Kansas Chamber’s support in the 2014 election despite meeting an 80 percent pro-Chamber voting record threshold in each of the past 12 years.
Schwab sent an email to supporters June 12 questioning whether the Kansas Chamber — one of the Statehouse’s most influential lobbying groups — is representing the interests of its member businesses or being used as revenge tool by Koch Industries representatives.
“The implications of such decision making are too numerous to name here,” Schwab wrote. “However, the largest is the integrity of the organization. The personal interests of one are jeopardizing the goodwill of the Kansas business community.”
http://cjonline.com/...
What Schwab is talking about is the Koch.. er.. Chamber of Commerce effort to end the Kansas Renewable Energy Portfolio standards. This standard, which encouraged more use of Kansas Wind power and other technologies is roundly opposed by the Kochs.. er.. Chamber of Commerce.
Scott Schwabb tells a story of what happened.
According to Schwab's email, his troubles with the state’s “Renewable Portfolio Standards” started last year when a Koch Industries lobbyist approached him after a hearing on repealing the standards. During the hearing, Schwab had commented on the fact that only think tanks and no Kansas businesses testified in favor of repeal.
“After the meeting, Jonathan Small asked if I was supportive of the bill,” Schwab wrote. “I responded by asking who was pushing it, and he admitted it was Koch Industries. I told him if he wanted me to vote for the bill, then we needed some Kansas businesses to advocate it, because right now it looked as an anti-business vote. He told me at the time only Koch wanted the measure. I recommended that Koch testify then. Jon said if they did that, people would not like them. My response was that people don't like them anyway, so just be honest.”
That's right. A Republican can see the reality: People do NOT like the Koch Brothers. The fact that they could find no other business in Kansas to talk on behalf of ending the Renewable Energy Portfolio speaks to how much of a struggle this was for them.
Kansas has been through a real battle with the Kochs on Renewable Energy.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
“With the cost of health care, gasoline and even groceries soaring … I CAN’T AFFORD HIGHER UTILITIES BILLS,” the postcard says in bold lettering on one side, accompanied by a picture of an elderly man with a worried look on his face.
On the other side, an elderly woman looks over her electric bill. The text says Kansas has seen 15 rate hikes since the renewable standards was implemented in 2011. It says rates have risen 27 percent in other states with similar standards. It does not cite a source for the information.
The Kansas Corporation Commission found that the standards were responsible for only about 2.2 percent of the increased cost of electricity. The majority of rate increases are caused by the cost of upgrading coal plants to meet environmental standards.
Rep. Don Hineman of Dighton, a moderate Republican who voted against the legislation, compared the postcards to financial scams that prey on seniors.
“The objective of the postcard was to scare seniors, get them worried about their utility bills and leave the impression that maybe their representative isn’t representing their interests in that regard and that’s a false assertion. It really is a political scam,” he said.
Alan Cobb, the registered lobbyist for the group who previously worked as state director of Americans For Prosperity and as a lobbyist for Koch Industries, defended the postcard.
“Our utility rates are pretty scary for those on fixed incomes,” Cobb said. “It sounds to me like that’s just a way for them to dodge the fact that RPS causes higher electricity rates.
That's how Koch saw it.. no.. that's how the Senior Consumer Alliance saw it..
The leader of the Kansas branch of Americans for Prosperity said Thursday he contacted a lawyer to file the paperwork for a new group opposing renewable energy mandates, but said he did so as a personal favor, not in his AFP capacity.
In contacts with the Wichita Eagle and The Topeka Capital-Journal during the past two days, Jeff Glendening had denied any connection between AFP and the newly-formed Kansas Senior Consumer Alliance.
That changed after he was informed a Topeka lawyer said he registered the alliance at the behest of Americans for Prosperity.
The alliance, organized April 24 as a limited liability company, is registered at the law office of corporate attorney W. Robert Alderson, across from the Washburn University campus. When visited by a reporter Thursday morning, Alderson said he was providing no services for seniors out of the office, and was only acting as the LLC's resident agent.
"I was engaged by Americans for Prosperity to form an LLC and that's the extent of my involvement," Alderson said. "I'm a lawyer."
http://cjonline.com/...
Huh. Turns out they were the same thing.
All of this is amusing because it wasn't two years ago that Brownback was singing a different tune:
And now the Kochs are wildly against it. To the point that they won't testify about it (because people won't like them) but enough that Republican candidates who 80% vote with the Chamber of Commerce are getting told they have a pink slip coming.
Ideological purity or nothing, it seems.
Update: Full Text from Scott Schwab email
From: “Rep. Scott Schwab”
Date: June 12, 2014, 11:58:18 PM CDT
To: Scott Schwab
Subject: KS Chamber PAC endorsements
Dear Kansas Chamber of Commerce Friends,
I know many of you, as I was, were shocked I failed to receive the KS Chamber PAC’s endorsement. Many of you have called and reached out to me, and I cannot express enough appreciation to you for that. Over the last few days, I have visited with both Christie Kriegshauser and Eric Stafford as to why I did not receive the endorsement when both acknowledged my rating above the needed 80% voting record. I have been over that threshold for 12 years straight.
Neither of them could give me specifics as to what I might have said or did that deserved it. Rather they just said my attitude was not right. My response was that without anything specific, no problems could be solved. Eric came all the way to Olathe to visit with me about it, but admitted he did not know what I had done or said. He claimed Mike Oneal knew what the issue was, but did not have time to call him the night before to share it with him. I found that odd as Mike had time to post comments on my Facebook wall about the KC Royals that same evening. Also, Christie has also been in contact with my opponent in the primary a few times, to which he has interpreted as support.
Through several conversations, I have gotten knowledge from a VERY credible source what the real problem is. To explain it, I have to back up to the 2013 legislative session.
I was assigned to the Energy committee after the 2012 election by Speaker Merrick. chairman Hedke early in the session said he wanted to adjust the state’s RPS. I had no idea what that was. He said it had to do with renewables and if I could support it. I shared with him I didn’t see a problem, but I would not commit until after the bill had hearings.
The day of the hearings, chairman Hedke changed usual procedure and had the opponents testify first. There were about 12 Kansas businesses asking us not to alter the law. When the time came for the proponents, there were two conferees from think tanks, and Charlotte O’Hara. This raised a concern with me. So I said, “I have noticed a trend with ALEC, NCSL, and other organizations that think tanks are taking over promoting ideas in industries and they don’t have a skin in the game. Where are the Kansas Businesses that want us to actually pass this bill?” James Taylor, from Heritage Foundation, lit into me for even asking the question. The gentleman from Boston acknowledged my point and said he was there just to present data. Mr. Taylor went on later to KCMO in Kanas City to call me out on the radio for raising Kansas households power bills.
After the meeting, Jonathan Small asked if I was supportive of the bill. I responded by asking who was pushing it, and he admitted it was Koch Industries. I told him if he wanted me to vote for the bill, then we needed some Kansas businesses to advocate it, because right now it looked as an anti-business vote. He told me at the time only Koch wanted the measure. I recommended that Koch testify then. Jon said if they did that, people would not like them. My response was that people don’t like them anyway, so just be honest.
I did support the bill coming out of committee that session. I also voted against sending the bill back to committee when the issue was on the floor. A few weeks later, at the annual ALEC reception in Topeka, I was confronted by both Mike Morgan and Mark Nichols. Mark took his business card, shoved it into my ribs on the left side and said from now on, if I wanted to talk to Jon Small, I needed to call him first for permission. Mike then aggressively let me know how horrible I was for not voting for the RPS bill (which I did vote for). I informed him it is hard to vote for a bill where Kanas businesses don’t want it passed, and only think tanks do. I needed the Kansas business community to say they really wanted this. He then said that I would vote to keep hookers working in Kansas if it meant no businesses ask for it. To which I said, “Are you equating your self to hookers?” Needless to say, Mike’s tone spiraled. He made mention of the number of companies Koch Industries owned. I let him know I was looking forward to hearing from them in committee. Jon Small and his wife then stepped in to prevent Mike’s aggression from escalating further. As I left, I said, “If this is how I am treated when I voted for the bill, well, you will get your money’s worth.” I have not voted for the bill since.
This conversation occurred in 2013, before the Kansas Chamber ever had a position on the RPS issue. However, this is the very conversation being used against me for a PAC endorsement. The denial of my endorsement, after 12 years of voting pro-business, is because of a personal conversation that occurred between Mike, Mark and myself. This is why the staff will not give specific answers as to what I said to lose the endorsement. If the board finds out their PAC dollars are being used as a tool of personal revenge of Mike Morgan and Mark Nichols, members will stop contributing. I have visited with other House members who also were surprisingly not endorsed, who had similar experiences to mine.
The implications of such decision making are too numerous to name here. However, the largest is the integrity of the organization. The personal interests of one are jeopardizing the good will of the Kansas Business community.
I apologize if I gave too much detail about the conversation, however, I believed it necessary to communicate the overall tone in which it occurred. I also appreciate the support you have shown me both personally and politically this week. Thank you much.
Rep. Scott Schwab
Kansas House Dist. 49
Kansas House of Representatives
Paid for Campaign to Elect Schwab
Debra Edler, Treasurer