BIW tops state list of PAC contributors

WASHINGTON — Bath Iron Works and UNUM political action committees have donated the bulk of the more than $72,000 that Maine PACs have contributed to this year’s Senate and House races, according to records from the Federal Election Commission.

PAC contributions, such as the $43,000 given by the BIW PAC, the $20,950 from the UNUM PAC or the nationwide total of $63 million that PACs have contributed to federal candidates, would be curtailed at the least, and perhaps eliminated, by two campaign finance reform bills passed by the House and the Senate earlier this month.

The Senate bill would scratch PAC donations for federal elections. The House bill would limit PAC contributions to $1,000 per candidate for each elections cycle, and each House member could receive no more than $275,000 from PACs. Differences are expected to be worked out by a conference committee when Congress reconvenes after Labor Day.

Donna Mundy, vice president for external affairs at the Millinocket-based UNUM insurance company, said the UNUM political action committee is opposed to the elimination of PAC donations, but would support a cap on individual PAC contributions.

“We do not support the abolition of PACs … but we think you could go to $2,500 per election and still not adversely affect the system,” said Mundy. The current limit is $5,000 per election, so a candidate could receive a total of $10,000 from a PAC in an election cycle for the primary and general election.

FEC records show that UNUM contributed $20,950 to 13 Democratic candidates and six Republicans by July of this year, including $5,000 for Sen. William S. Cohen. Mundy said the UNUM PAC also gave $3,000 to Democratic congressional candidate Tom Andrews, and it hopes to contribute a total of $43,000 before elections this fall.

BIW gave a total of $43,500 to 19 Democratic candidates and 18 Republican candidates by July, including $7,000 for Sen. William S. Cohen, $2,500 for Rep. Joseph E. Brennan and $600 for Rep. Olympia J. Snowe.

Cohen is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Brennan is a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

“We primarily focus on members of Congress for defense committees as well as the Maine delegation,” said Gerry Lamb, BIW’s director of government affairs in Washington.

FEC reports show that BIW Chairman and CEO William Haggett donated $3,400 to the BIW PAC. Company President Buzz Fitzgerald did not donate money to the PAC, but did give $1,000 directly to Cohen’s campaign.

Lamb said BIW has not adopted a position on the bills being considered by Congress, but like Mundy, he suggested that so-called “soft money” contributions to state party organizations should be the focus of campaign finance reform.

“There are areas of campaign finance reform, such as soft money, which is fairly unregulated, which doesn’t involve the same level of disclosure, which others think is where the larger problem lies as far as campaign finance goes,” Lamb said.

PACs must file their contributions with the Federal Election Commission, but the FEC does not regulate donations to state party organizations. The House bill would restrict “soft money” donations, and the Senate bill would prohibit candidates from raising money for groups, such as state party organizations, that conduct voter registration or get-out-the-vote efforts.

Mundy and Lamb also objected to public funding of political campaigns, which the Senate bill would provide to a candidate if his opponent exceeds the spending limit, which varies from $950,000 to $5.5 million depending on a state’s population.

“We’re opposed to public financing. It doesn’t eliminate the soft money expenditures … and with the budget deficit, it doesn’t seem to be the most rational approach,” Mundy said, adding that UNUM plans to issue a newsletter this week outlining its position on campaign finance reform.

Other PACs in Maine that have supported candidates in this year’s federal elections are: The Great Northern Good Government Committee, which has given $402 to Cohen; JACPAC, which has given $1,000 each to Andrews and Democrat Patrick McGowan; the Maine State Right of Life PAC, which has given $4,963 to Republican John McCormick; the Maine National Bank Federal PAC, which has given $250 each to Andrews and Brennan.