Corporate Lobbyists Buying Seats in Congressional Hearings Using Homeless People

The wait to get a seat at an important Congressional hearing can last days, but big time lobbyists have found a loophole: they're paying to have homeless people and others hard up cash hold their places. This dubious practice makes it difficult and sometimes impossible for ordinary people, public interest groups and representatives of non-profits to gain entry to the rooms where important legislation about energy and the environment or health care reform is being discussed. As a result, corporate lobbyists and other monied special interest pushers fill the hearing rooms, caught up in texting targeted Senators or Representatives as points come up in the discussions. Very convenient. Imagine how different the crowds in the hearing rooms would be if attendees had to hold their own places in line.

As the video above points out, the folks getting paid to hold places in the lines are happy to get a few bucks in their pockets for showing up and hanging out. The real moneymakers are the temp agencies that get paid very generous fees to find and place the line sitters. They pay the temp employees just a small portion of the fees they get. Whatta deal.

Bottom line: It's just another way for monied lobbyists to buy influence on The Hill. At least one Senator agrees:

In 2007, Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri introduced legislation to ban the practice of line-standing.

"I have no problem with lobbyists being in hearings, but they shouldn't be able to buy a seat," McCaskill said. "It seems to me that if we are going to make sure lobbyists aren't buying meals for senators, and we are going to make sure lobbyists aren't buying elected officials gifts, then we ought to make sure they aren't buying seating at a public hearing."

Sen. McCaskill has said she intends to reintroduce her bill within a couple months. You might encourage her to do just that via her website.