NATION! ORLD The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 9, 1996 - 5A Tobacco industry spent $15M to protect interets Ride 'em cowboys AP PHOTO Doc Holiday of Darby, Mont., pulls ahead of Mike Betz in the 37th Annual Camel Races In Virginia City, Nev., on Saturday. Ten camels and 30 riders competed in 10 heats riding camels, ostriches and water buffalo. Tro1Ca Storn Hortense swee trou Carbbean WASHINGTON (AP) - Feeling its own health threatened, the tobacco industry spent millions of dollars in the first half of 1996 to thwart federal efforts to curtail teen-age smoking, raise the industry's taxes and restrict its advertising. Reports filed with the government show companies with heavy interests in tobacco issues spent more than $15 million during the period. Industry giant Philip Morris led the way with $11.3 million, according to the first-ever reports disclosing special interests' real expenses in lobbying Congress, federal agencies and the White House. Philip Morris has extensive holdings in non-tobacco businesses - Kraft Foods, for example - but reports indi- cate the bulk of its lobbying efforts related to tobacco matters. Companies are not required to break down their total lobbying spending by business category. Congressional clerks who reviewed the reports say Philip Morris' total appeared to be the largest so far among around 12,000 companies and groups that filed midyear reports over the past two months. "We have had a lot of federal atten- tion from regulators and the White House," said Thomas Lauria, a spokesperson for the Tobacco Institute, a trade association. "It's never easy communication, because tobacco is controversial on many, many levels." The industry, once given deference in Washington, has seen its credibility eroded in recent years by allegations that executives covered up knowledge of the damaging and addictive nature of cigarettes, said Michael Pertschuk, an anti-tobacco researcher and activist at the Advocacy Institute. "They have the deepest pockets imaginable, and they have the most at stake," Pertschuk said. "The very heart of their industry is under attack:' The industry's political vulnerabil- ity was heightened last month when President Clinton declared nicotine an addictive drug and ordered that cigarettes for the first time be regulat- ed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Not only is the industry pouring money into lobbying, it also is spending millions to influence lawmakers through campaign donations and addi- tional millions to defend itself against lawsuits. Thirteen states have sued to recover smoking-related health care costs. Eight class-action suits are pending, filed by smokers who claim they became hooked while the industry con- cealed the addictive nature of its prod- uct. Meanwhile, the Justice Department continues with its criminal probe intoT whether tobacco company offi- cials have lied to d ep' t Congress in - recent years or maglnah misled lawmak- h ers about whether they m knew of nico- tine's addictive - M iC properties. A senior law e n for c e m e n t official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said yesterday that numer- ous tobacco company researchers have been subpoenaed in recent weeks to tes- tify before a federal grand jury in Washington that is looking into the tobacco companies' stance on nicotine. With these far-ranging legal battles as a backdrop, records show that during the first 18 months of the current two- year election cycle, tobacco companies gave $4.75 million in unregulated "soft money" to the two major parties - about $4 million to the GOP and about $750,000 to the Democrats. Philip Morris' lobbying report details the breadth of the lobbying battle the industry has been forced to wage. In addition to 11 registered lobbyists in its ICI sac Washington office, the company conr tracted with 22 Washington law or lob- bying firms. It reported lobbying on legislation that would restrict youths' access to tobacco, eliminate tobacco advertisin;' costs as a tax-deductible business expense, grant FDA regulatory power over their products and restrict smoking on airplanes and in workplaces. Philip Morris paid the Arnold & Porter law firm $240,000 to repre- sent it on issues including FDA regu- lation of tobacco; former House doorkeeper James Molloy $20,000 to. lobby on proposed youth smoking regulations; and the firm of former House member Ed Jenkins $140,000 to ave the protect it against pro- IockeTS posed increas- es in excise taxes. the -Company spokesperson i Dennis noted iael Pertschuk that the figure cco researcher also includes money spent to advance the corporation's interests in the food and beer businesses. Philip Morris "has a right to lobby on matters of impact to its business, just like others," she said. Dennis acknowledged that the cur- rent climate for tobacco is, "as alwavs, a challenging environment:' Other leading spenders included the Tobacco Institute, nearly $1.3 million; U.S. Tobacco, $920,000; R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, $859,670; and the Smokeless Tobacco Council, $600,000. The new lobbying law requires all interests that engage in significant lob- bying in Washington to register and to disclose a good-faith estimate of lobby- ing expenses twice a year. The law went into effect Jan. 1. Storm cancels flights, closes shelters in Puerto Rico SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Despite signs that Tropical Storm Hortense was losing its punch, authorities in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands braced for the worst yesterday, stocking shelters and canceling flights. Tropical storm warnings were lifted or eastern Caribbean islands by yester- day afternoon as Hortense moved northwestward toward St. Croix, the southernmost U.S. Virgin Island. After weakening slightly during the day, the storm regained its 60-mph winds of the day before. Tropical storm warnings remained in effect from the British Virgin Islands west- ward through Puerto Rico, but the National Hurricane Center in Miami backed off from earlier predictions *at the storm might reach hurricane strength by today. "People are still worried and they are taking precautions, boarding up and all," said Wilda Davis, a Red Cross worker on St. Croix. "They don't want to take any chances" Hortense was about 100 miles south- east of St. Croix on yesterday after- noon, moving west at 10 mph, accord- ing to the hurricane center. Tropical storm-force winds were expected to hit St. Croix just after mid- night and move into eastern Puerto Rico early this morning, as the eye of the storm crosses south of the islands. Up to 10 inches of rain was expected for islands near the storm's path, with the possibility of dangerous flooding in Caribbean mountains. The storm will probably fluctuate in strength over the next day, but upper-level winds in the Caribbean will keep it from growing markedly, hurricane center forecaster Bill Frederick said.' "We're not expecting much intensifi- cation," Frederick said. Hortense battered the French Caribbean island of Martinique with heavy rains Saturday, knocking down power lines and flooding roads before sweeping westward early yesterday. To prepare for the storm, Puerto Rican Gov. Pedro Rossello suspended a law that forces stores to close at 5 p.m. on Sundays. He also banned the sale of alcoholic beverages after 8 p.m. Public schools across Puerto Rico will be closed today, so the buildings can be used as hurricane shelters. American Airlines, which has its regional hub in San Juan, said yester- day that it was canceling flights to other Caribbean islands. Delta Airlines also canceled some flights, the Puerto Rican Port Authority reported. On St. Croix, a popular tourist desti- nation, hotel owners battened down the hatches but appeared calm. King's Alley Hotel in Christiansted closed its open-air bar after breakfast, and employees pulled in lawn furniture and boarded up the hotel. "We are definitely bracing for it," said shift manager David Malone. U K THEI O IGINL ESTABLISHED 1983 IN CHARLESTON, ILL TO AID Al STUDENTS G.P.A AND GENERAL DATING ABILITY. "A COLLEGE CAREER" WITH JIMMY JOHN'S LEARN MY BUSINESS AND OWN YOUR OWN wow aim nO STORE. WORK I YEAR PART-TIME 0*e" ** VE AND PROVE YOU'RE THE BEST. WE LOVE THE BEST.AH ANN ARBOR WE WANT I 929 EAST ANN STREET OPEN 1OAM TO 3AM 7 DAYS A WEEK V A WHY SO YUMMY? Ill MY GOURMET SANDWICHES ARE MADE ON FRESH BAKED BREAD MADE RIGHT HERE WHERE YOU CAN SEE IT. THE LEANEST, HIGHEST QUALITY MEATS AVAILABLE ARE USED, MADE EXCLUSIVELY BY LOUIS RICH & SCAR MAYER. THE GARDEN FRESH GGIES ARE BROUGHT IN EACH AND EVERY MORNING. 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