Commemorative Series No. 3 · The Fine Print
OUTSPENTNo. 06/74
Richard
Shelby
U.S. Senate · R-AL
Taken from the card industry
$212,200
S.256 · the bankruptcy bill · 2005tap to flip ⤺
WHO THEY WORK FORNo. 06/74
Credit Cards$127,850
Card-Issuing Banks$84,350
Made it harder to clear credit-card debt in bankruptcy. Filings got ~38% costlier; insolvency didn't fall. · 109-1-44OUTSPENT
Card 6 of 74 · tap the card to see who they work for
Beyond the check
The check is only the part you can see.
They took
$212,200
The industry spent on the bill
$100M+
on an eight-year industry push to pass the bankruptcy bill
Through the leadership PAC
Beyond the campaign account, a leadership PAC under Shelby's control (Defend America PAC) took $499,500 from banks, card lenders, drug makers and insurers.
Source: FEC; Defend America PAC
The industry figure is lobbying spent on the bill, not a payment to this senator. Source: contemporary reporting (NBER; PBS Frontline). Everything here is documented public record; nothing alleges an illegal act.
★ Hall of Shame
Shelby voted with the money in more than one set:
Don't recognize a logo? Here's the key.
Credit Cards$127,850
American Express$58,800
MBNA$56,550
Consumer Bankers Assn$10,500
Discover$2,000
Card-Issuing Banks$84,350
Wells Fargo$24,800
Citigroup$21,600
Am. Bankers Assn.$17,500
Am. Financial Services$13,500
JPMorgan$5,700
Bank of America$1,250