Alliance for Reasonable Regulation

Alliance for Reasonable Regulation. . . -- "Another number, (800) 444-1555, is sponsored by big business groups who wish to destroy environmental regulations calling themselves the Alliance for Reasonable Regulation. The 'Alliance' is made up of, among others, the Chemical Manufacturer's Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Grocery Manufacturers' Association. Call this number and defend the environment." From the Washington Free Press, June/July 1995. -- "Another new coalition supporting the Contract with America's regulatory provisions is the Alliance for Reasonable Regulation, whose 22-page membership list contains hundreds of little-known businesses from Safety-Kleen Corporation to Ozark Wire Limited. Representing the Alliance at a recent congressional hearing, however, was a familiar face: Jerry J. Jasinowski, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, the heavy-hitting, big business trade association and a founding member of the Alliance." From Regulatory Roll Back, March 1995. -- "Regulatory Reform" (excerpted from Executive Summary): "We want broad regulatory reform . . . I think we've got the votes to do it this time." -- Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), in a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 8, 1997.

"In the summer of 1995, there was an epic struggle in the Senate over Sen. Bob Dole's (R-Kan.) regulatory reform bill, S. 343. This bill would have undermined environmental health standards, and made it difficult, if not impossible, to address new environmental threats. Under the guise of streamlining government, special interests, led by oil and chemical companies, advocated proposals that would have weakened all of our environmental protection programs with the passage of a single bill.

"In July 1995, Sen. Dole brought S. 343 to the floor of the Senate. A group of senators, led by John Forbes Kerry (D-Mass.), refused to end debate on S. 343, knowing that this bill would have gutted environmental protection. In an attempt to cut off debate and pass the bill, Sen. Dole forced three 'cloture' votes. Each attempt failed to get the required 60 votes. Dole's third attempt -- the squeaker -- failed by a mere two-vote margin. That close vote is examined in this study.

"Take More Money . . . and Run analyzes the campaign contributions from a total of 407 PACs funded by companies that are members of the Alliance for Reasonable Regulation and/or "Project Relief," the two leading coalitions that lobbied for Dole's bill. These PACs gave lavishly to senators currently serving in the 105th Congress -- more than $26 million from January 1991 through November 1996. About two-thirds of their contributions went to senators who voted for their efforts to roll back environmental standards." -

Leadership
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 * C. Boyden Gray
 * Richard D. Clayton, Vice Chairman
 * John Cohen, director of risk policy for the National Association of Manufacturers and executive director of the Alliance for Reasonable Regulation (11/95)