FC: Computer industry's latest political giving, from CRP

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

----- Forwarded message from Center for Responsive Politics <hbailey () crp org> 

From: Center for Responsive Politics <hbailey () crp org>
Subject: Money in Politics Alert -- Oct 2, 2000
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () wired com>
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2000 13:40:14 -0700

CENTER FOR RESPONSIVE POLITICS
MONEY IN POLITICS ALERT
Vol. 5, #59 October 2, 2000
tel: 202-857-0044, fax: 202-857-7809
email: info () crp org, web: www.opensecrets.org
http://www.opensecrets.org/alerts/v5/alertv5_59.htm

Cyberdemocracy III: 
An Update on the Computer Industry's Political Giving

By Holly Bailey

As the 106th Congress winds to a conclusion this week, members 
of the House and Senate are poised to vote on the high-tech industry's 
most important lobbying issue of the year, an immigration bill 
that would expand the number of work visas available for skilled 
foreign workers.

If approved, it would mark the second time in less than two years 
that the computer industry has successfully argued for an increase 
in the six-year visas. In late 1998, lawmakers upped the cap 
on work visas from 65,000 to the current level of 115,000. The 
Senate tomorrow is expected to increase the number available 
to 195,000 each fiscal year, while the House this week is weighing 
two bills, including one that would wipe out all existing caps 
on available work visas.

In a session where lawmakers deadlocked on a supposed Patients 
Bill of Rights, gun control and other hot legislative topics, 
it should be no surprise that in its final days the 106th Congress 
is taking up a bill of such profound importance to the tech sector. 
That's because more than half of all House and Senate members 
have benefited in the form of political contributions this election 
cycle from the computer industry's economic prowess on Wall Street. 

Of the House's 435 members, 325 of them have taken an average 
of $5,000 from the tech industry, while 75 out of 100 members 
of the Senate have reported an average contribution of $22,000 
during the 1999-00 election cycle. But that's nothing compared 
to the entire pot of computer industry contributions, which now 
totals more than $22 million in soft money, PAC and individual 
contributions.

All told, that's nearly three times what the industry contributed 
during all of 1995-96, the last presidential election cycle. 
It's also a 233 percent increase over giving in the 1998 elections, 
earning the computer industry a spot alongside the entertainment 
industry and oil and gas interests as one of Washington's most 
generous political benefactors.

Thanks to an upswing in soft money contributions, Democrats this 
cycle are receiving the majority of the industry's contributions, 
with 54 percent compared to the Republicans' 45 percent. But 
that financial support varies dramatically when broken down by 
geography.

Analysis shows that Democrats are taking the majority of political 
contributions from San Jose and San Francisco, Calif., the home 
of Silicon Valley. San Jose ($2.9 million in contributions; 63 
percent Dems) ranks No. 2 in tech industry contributions, while 
the Bay Area ($1.8 million; 82 percent Dems) ranks No. 4. At 
No. 3, the Seattle metro area ($2.4 million; 56 percent Dems) 
also favors the Democrats, though not as strongly thanks to Microsoft 
Corp's $1 million in soft money donations to the Republicans.

But inside the Beltway, it's a different story. With $3.5 million 
in contributions, the Washington, DC metro area, home to company 
lobbyists and Northern Virginia's expanding tech economy, ranks 
No. 1 in computer industry contributions. Sixty-one percent of 
that money goes to Republicans. 

Click here for a look at computer industry contributions broken 
down by geography, as well as links to the industry's top contributors 
and recipients dating back to 1990:

http://www.opensecrets.org/alerts/v5/alertv5_59.htm


----- End forwarded message -----



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