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In the waning days of the 2005 legislative session, then-Rep. Jeff Kropf, R-Sublimity, buttonholed fellow lawmakers to support tax breaks for the fledgling biofuels industry.
Now Kropf is back in Salem buttonholing the same lawmakers on the same issue, this time as a paid lobbyist for a biofuels trade group.
"It's what I believe in," said Kropf, a former farmer who also works part time as a KXL radio talk-show host.
There's nothing unusual about Oregon lawmakers switching hats to lobby their former colleagues. Capitol hallways are dotted with legislators-turned-lobbyists, who can earn tidy incomes parlaying their insider contacts, policy expertise and political know-how.
But after a spate of state and national lobbying scandals, the Legislature is expected to enact a "revolving door" bill, barring its members from lobbying in Salem for one or two years after leaving office.
Credibility at stake
"Public trust is undermined by the quick return of these former legislators as lobbyists," said Janice Thompson, the executive director of the Money in Politics Research Action Project.
A Senate ethics-reform package, Senate Bill 10, likely will bar lawmakers from returning to lobby for one legislative session, said Senate Majority Leader Kate Brown, D-Portland. That provision could address public concerns and prevent corruption, Brown said.
"Folks are concerned about undue influence in the legislative process by legislators seeking employment," she said, "or the alternative, of organizations or businesses seeking to employ legislators, and the potential impact that could have on legislation in front of the body."
Fifteen lawmakers moved straight into lobbying after the 1999 and 2001 legislative sessions, a time when many were forced out of office by term limits.
Two switched hats
This year there are two: Kropf and former Sen. Charles Starr, R-Hillsboro, who represented Keizer in the Legislature.
Kropf's last day as a state lawmaker was Jan. 8, 2007. The next day, he registered as a lobbyist.
Working with veteran lobbyist Ted Hughes, Kropf helped create a new trade group to nurture the biofuels industry, which could provide a fertile market for Mid-Valley farmers. The resulting Northwest Renewable Fuels Association is one of Kropf's two clients so far.
Starr also created a new organization to serve as a lobbyist: Life, Liberty and Property Inc. Starr said he's hoping to line up backers for the venture among evangelical churches. He doesn't have any paying clients yet, but hopes to make enough income to cover driving expenses from Hillsboro, and perhaps replace his modest legislative salary.
Kropf supports the revolving-door provision; Starr opposes it.
Kropf hears an earful of public criticism of lawmakers on his KXL radio show, and said the Legislature needs to restore credibility with the public.
"I think that is something necessary, to do this," Kropf said. "This business is all about relationships. The ability to stop a legislator in the hall when you've developed a relationship with them means you have the opportunity to persuade them to your point of view."
Kropf figured he could easily shift his lobbying to other states, local governments and Washington, D.C., if he had to sit out a year or two in Salem. Then he could return to the Capitol with his prior relationships intact.
Opposes reform
Starr said it's a "bad notion" to bar lawmakers from lobbying. "I am totally convinced, after 14 years in the Legislature, that we don't do our job very well unless we have the expertise and experience of a good lobbyist," he said.
Starr sees himself as a valuable asset for current lawmakers.
"I think that there's a lot of expertise gained through experience there, that you don't get as a citizen outside of the process."
Making lawmakers sit out a year or two would prod them to seek employment elsewhere, Starr said. They may be less likely to be of service in Salem, he said.
Starr recognizes the potential for future lobbying scandals, but said there always will be room for temptation when it comes to money and politics.
"We'll always have people who step over the line," he said.
slaw@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6615
