WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and SportsFormer lawmaker helped mold environmental bill
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MADISON (WKOW) -- State records show a former lawmaker helped mold an environmental bill with potential financial benefits for his firm and industry.
The proposal authored by Rep. Cory Mason (D-Racine) requires higher environmental standards for the cleaning of schools, state and UW campus buildings.
The bill's drafting file includes e-mail correspondence between Mason's aide and former Racine lawmaker Jeff Neubauer, who runs a cleaning company.
The correspondence indicates Neubauer originated and reviewed portions of the bill.
"Attached please find the final language," Neubauer wrote on Sept. 22, 2009 to Mason aide Michelle Michalak and lobbyist Jason Childress.
"Announce and release the bill in the form that is attached on Friday," Neubauer wrote.
"Nothing but good publicity will come from that. It is no lose, all upside for you."
Mason unveiled the proposal during news conferences Friday, Sept. 25, 2009.
In the e-mail, Neubauer apologized for delay in the development of the proposal.
"I did not want to get it wrong so I obsessed over some details in the language way too much."
The proposal includes a requirement any school cleaning meet the approval standards of non-profit company Greenguard Environmental Institute (GEI).
Neubauer's firm appears to be a leader among Wisconsin companies in providing cleaning products with such approval.
Childress' lobbying client, JohnsonDiversy is one of two producers of GEI school-certified cleaning products.
Neubauer's September e-mail makes no reference to the proposal's GEI provision.
Neubauer and Mason said there's no intent in the legislation to favor Neubauer's firm, and said the proposal includes no barriers to other firms acquiring cleaning products with the necessary environmental approval. They said other states, including Illinois have adopted similar standards.
But Atlanta-based GEI's executive director Henning Bloesch told WKOW27 News the proposal's exclusive designation of the firm's cleaning standard for schools is "overboard."
Executive director Mike McCabe of the goverment watchdog group Wisconsin democracy campaign said Neubauer's involvement in helping write or edit legislation is just the latest instance of a growing trend of businesses, lobbyists or their clients having tremendous influence over proposed laws, even before those laws are formally introduced.
"Certain interests are getting a special degree of access and it's not balanced, and lawmakers aren't looking for all viewpoints."
McCabe cited Wisconsin's cable competition law as another example of a proposal with the participation of affected industry officials in writing, revising or editing bill language.
The proposed environmental law has stalled in a legislative committee, with committee chairperson Spencer Black (D-Madison) citing the exclusivity of the school cleaning approval and other bill provisions as needing more review.
Online reporting by Tony Galli
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