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than pleasure. WALLACE: [voiice-over], Business or pleasure, 10 members of Congress enjoyed a free trip to Florida earlier this month, along with their spouses,,courtesy of Washington lobbyists. Critics call it a blatant conflict of interest. JOAN CLAYBROOK: When members of'Congness take these expensive trips with industry lobbyists, it is the equivalent of legalized bribery. WALLACE: [voiice-over)'i All expenses for four days and three nights - plane fare, rooms, food, even greens fees - were picked up by lobbyists for the electronics industry who, at the same time, were seeking,tax breaks and other legislation for some of America's biggest companies. PETER McCLOSKEY: I d'onit make any bones about the fact that we're trying to get our message acnoss to members of Congress. WALLACE: Every year members of Congress aceept rnore than 1,000 of these trips from corporate lobbyists, all completely within the rules that Congress has written for itself: One off the hot issues in the last campaign was how to end the cow relationship between publ~iie servants and special interests. But for all tihe talk of refprn for some members of Congress it's st2lli business as usual. [voiice-overl Arthe South Seas Plantation resort on Captiva Island!offFlorida's west coast, the Electronic Industries Association, or EIA, hosted members of Congress for the 15th year with lobbyists from companies like General Electric, Westinghouse, and Boeing. Only this,year there were some others around: PrimeTiime staffers posing as vacationers and taking plenty of pictures. When we told the members of Congress afterwards that we'd crashed their party, most gave us the cold shoulder, but a few agreed to talk with us. Rep. BATEMAN: I resent any imputation that I have been bribed by anyone. I have! not. WALLACE: [voice-over] Virginia Congressman HerbertBateman s,ayshewent on thetrip, to exchange information with leaders of an important indhstry. [interviewing] Congressrrtan, why couldn't you discuss all that right here in. Washington? Why did you have to spend four days at a resort in Florida? Rep. BATEIVIAN: Because the meetiing,was in Florida. WALLACE: And the fact that, there was golf available and tennis and they were going to take your wife - that's just, purely coincidental? Rep. BATEMAN: It did not make it any less attractive, I would', certainly admit. WALLACE: [voice-over] The guest list - key members from some of Congress's most powerful committees. Bateman andlJoellHefley of Colorado:are members of House Armed Services, of keen interest to defense companies. Philip Crane ofIll'inois. is on Ways and Means, which writes the tax laws. Washington's Norman Dicks and. Jim Chapman of Texas are on Hbuse Appropriations, which votes on how to spend the money. So is Tom DeLay of Texas. Other members: John Tanner of Tennessee, Wisconsin's Toby Roth, Barbara Vucanoviichlof Nevada, and Florida's.Jirn Bacchus. Joani Claybrooky presid'ent, of Public Citizen, a consumer-advocacy group, says lobbyists choose Congressmen who can do them a lot of'good or harm.

Ms: CLAYBROOK: They want a return They want a quid pro quo. These industries want a quid pro quo from the metnbers of Congress that they invite on these trips. WALLACE: [voice-over] Day one, Monday evening. After armiving,at the resort, where rootTts go for $255 a night, the lawmakers attend a poolside cocktail party, greeting their lobbyist hosts like old friends. Congressman Bateman works his way through the foodi line at a barbecue. Four members, including Chapman, have been on this trip before. In fact, a study two years ago showed that EIA paid for 55 Congressional trips over two years, the sixth mosti of any l'obbying group. Day two, 8:CKl A.M'. Tuesday morniing, andlthe activity moves fromi poolside to the conference! center. Congressmen and lobbyists meet behind'closed doors, but PrimeTime has obtained a, copy of EIA's lobbying agenda for the trip. They discuss how to convert the shrinking defense industry to make civiliani products and they talk about the space program. The industry's agenda shows it's pushing for full funding of the space station and opposes penalties for contractors whoo do shoddy work. Meanwhile, congressional wives are treated to breakfast and a sightseeing trip on board the Lady Chadwick- $35 for the average! vacationer: Later they can get, free tiennis lessons, which normally go for $55 ani hour. By 11U:15 the meetings are over. After only three hours, members of C'ongress have the rest of the day off. Crane has apparently heard enoughL He heads for the pool and tiakea ai nap under the Florida sun. Others, like Vucanovich~ Chapman, and Delny, go to the golf course, where they and lobbyists play the rest, of the afternoon. Greens fees here are $71 for a round of go1f. Meanwhile, back at thee resort they play what's called "The Congressional-Industry Tennis Tournament." The host of the trip is Peter M¢Clbskey, president of EIA. Mr. McCLOSKEY: I don't think it's a vacation in Fliarida for them, no. I think it's ahard-working,session. I think there's some leisure time. I't'hink it''s well-balanced.. WALLACE: Mc. McCloskey, I think you're going to have ai very hard time convincing people that these members of Congress are- are involved'I in hardship duty spending three days in Florida. Mr. McCL:OS'KEY: I didn't say it was a hardship duty. We try to put it ini a place that will attract them. We don't put it in Norne„Alaska. WALLACE: [voice-over] MeCloskey certainly knows his congressmen. Rep. BATEMAN: Youldon't have this kind' of a conference and expect people to come in early April in Nome, Alaska. WALLACE: [voice- over] As the sun sets on Floridta's gul'f coast, no official events are scheduled that evening, but' several lawmakers and spouses are taken to dinner by industry representatives. Day three, Wednesday morning, and again the meetings start at 8:00. They discuss the Clinton economic package and then hold1 a panel on energy and the environment. Accord'ing,to its agenda, t'hee industry opposes new restrictions on electromagnetic fields coming,from consumer products, which some scientists say are a health hazard. They also oppose new restrictions oni the! use of lead in making their products. The meetings are supposed to last until 11:00, but Congressman Chapman leaves early. Soon the rest of the lawmakers and lobbyists head for their cars. EIA has taken over a

golf course on the other side of the island. There's a, big lunchi on the lawn, to be followed by their own private golf tiournament. Later, back in Washington, Congressman Crane says he went on the trip because the largest emplbyer in his district is the electronics firm Motorola. Rep. PHILIP CRAhIE„(R), I'Ilinois: The fact is, it's a working,event and the- WALLACE: A working event? Rep. CRANE: -mornings are alI working sessions. Right. WALLACE: You don'ti consider what you were on a vacatbon?. Rep. CRANE: Nb. I don'r consider it a vacation. Vacation time, to rne, is timee albne, total'relaxing down time away from the telephones- the whole thing. That's- that's vacation time. Here there were responsibi'lities every day. WALLACE: [voi+ce-over]iBut the responsibilities that afternoon involved golf, with each lawmaker paired with lobbyists. Crane is teamed with TRW and the Consumer Electronics Group. Tom, DeLay, resplendent in knickers, gEts 1Vlagnavox. Tanner plays along with Martin Marietta, Texas Instruments, and DuPont. Critics say this is where the industry does its real business, build!ing personal ties to indluential congressmen. [intierviewiing] So there's a lbt more going oni here than a bunch of good old boys having a game of tennis or a round of golf. M:s. CLAYBROOK: Well, that's right. They have access, these industries, to members of Congress 24 hours a day for three or four days. That's a lot. You can really influence someone that way, particularly when you don't hear the other side. WALLACE: [voice-over] There's another cocktail party and dinner that evening, complete with stroll'ing, musician andl plenty of food and drink. EIA says, with special rates it gets for a big conference, iti spends about $2,500 on airfare, room„and enterta~inmentfbr each congre~ssionallcouple.Biut later, back in Washington, McCloskey says he couldn't get the same kind of access to members on Capitoll Hill at any price. Mr. McCLOSKEY: They're torn so many different ways that wheni we make- have meetings with members of Congress here, we only get them for 10 or 15 minutes. WALLACE: But if you hold it in Florida- Mr. McCLOSKEY: Then they'll stay for the period of the conference and we won't have the distractions. We'll be able to focus on industry issues, and I' think it's successful because of that. WALLACE: [voice-over] Day four, Thursday. A 110th lawmaker,,Jim Bacchus, has arrived the night before andjpins a discussion oni international trade. The final panel' is on, defense. According to its agenda, EIA wants less g©vernmentt regulationi of its business. The trip is officially ended, but members of Congress are invited to stay on at their own expense - of course paying EIA's reduced rates. These kinds of'trips are common practice, but some lawmakers turn them down on principle, such as Indiana's Andrew Jacobs.

Rep. ANDIZE1Dti' JACOBIS. (D), Indiana: And the judgrment about what is deserving~ what deserves public expenditiure or tax breaks and what does not shouldl not be sweetened'or altered by gifts: lt's just that' simple. WALLACE: [voice-over] Jacobs feels so sta•ongly that this January he introduced aa bill that wouid rnake a bobbyist-funded trip a federal criine: brnbery: [!interviewingj' You'ie saying that if a congressman accepts a trip frorn a' lobbyist, from a big,business, that's bribery? Rep: JACO'BS: Look at the other officialdom in'our society. Where do we allloav it?' We don't' allow it for poliicemen. We don't allow it' for prosecutors. We don'r alllow it for judges, and so on. It's wrong. Ms. CLAYB'ROOK: I think that the industries think that they're going to get a return'on their dollar because they're going,to have access and they're going to be able to go back to these members when the moment arrives for a key vote. WALLACE: You certninly aren t suggesting thata member of Congress canbe bought for a few days in the sun. are you? 'V1s: CLAYBROOW.: One member af Congress saidit, I think, best, that you can'r buy a member of ConQne.tis, hut ~~ou csn rent them: Andl I think that that's the problem: ~ WALLACE: [voice-over) !t's impossiible to lin'k these trips tio specific votes in Congress, although mo1t of the members on the Captiva trip have strong pro-defentie records. Tfie host of the faur days in T+liorida says he's not renting congressmen, just educating them. Ivlr. McCLOSKEY: Cdon't th'ink theree is a'confliict of interest: I think what they're getting here is information.l- I don't think they're influencedlby two plane tickets and a couple of nights in a hotel. WALLACE: What do you get for your $2,5(}0? Mr: McCLOSKEY: Well, I think what happens is industry gets to tell its story and the congressmen get to tiell theirpoint of view as well. WALLACE: Good investment? 1VIr. McCLOSKEY: I think it is a good investrnent, not only for the industty, but I think it is for the American people. WALLACE: [voice-overj As for the members of Congress, they flatily deny being, compromised by allll the money lobbyists spend on thern: ['interviewing] You don't feel at alQ beholden to nhern' wlnen they do that? . Rep. CRANE: Why? WALLACE: Because they've given you something of real value. Rep. CRANE: And I've given them something-

WALLACE: D mean,, I"ve got to tell you- Rep: CRANE: -of real value in exchange. WALLACE': W'hieh is what?' Rep. CRANE: My participation in their conference. WALLACE: So you can accept airfare, hotels, greens fees, d'inners and you don't feel any sense of debt, any sense of being, beholden? Rep. CRANE: None whatsoever: WALLACE: Do you think you've compmmised yourself at, all? Rep. BATE'IVIAN`. Indeed I did not. WALLACE: You don't feell that it, affects your judg,ment in any way? Rep: BATEMAN: Indeed it does not. WALLACE: I take it that you!wouldn't keep spending $2,500 per congressrrtan and spouse if iR diidn't pay off for you: Mr. MaCLOSt+'.EY: I think we wouldn't spend the money if we didn't think it made sense. WALLACE: [voice-overl Iti makes sense to a lot, of companies. Some congressmen whoo went, to Captiva noted that, our industry group, the National Associat2onof Broadcasters, dioes exactly the same thing, taking members of Congress to play golf in Florida or see the shows in Las Vegas, while atthe same time seeking tax breaks and opposing, new regulations. And last'~ January we went undercover on a trip~organized by U.S. Tobacco to Boca Raton, Florida, for 17' present and past members of Congress. Among the! big names, Senate majority leader George Mitchell. And remember Congressman Chapman from Captiva? He was in Boca Raton, too. [interviewing] Do youi take a lot, of these trips? Rep; CRANE: Nbt aiIbt, but- WALLACE: [voice-over] But in four years CongressmanCrane took 67 trips funded by private groups, more than one a month. In 1'99©~alone he went to Ivl7ami'~ in February„West Palim Beach in March, Captiva in April for the electronics industry, San Francisco in May,,Orlan& ini June, Taiwan for two weeks in Augtast, New York in September, Monterey, California, in November, and Miami and Puerto. Rico, also in November. [interviewing] Bottom line: You don't see anything, wrong with continuing to go to these meetings all over the country„all over the world, and~ having big corporations pick up the tab? Rep. CRANE: No. I- I don't see any problem with that because there's no compromising of any position; and iR's all a rnatter of record. WALLACE: And you're! going,to keep doing,it? Rep. CRANE: Certainly. It's a.way of maintaining that contact with your

constituents. SAWYER: While, as you saw, two members of Congress tallked with us about the trip; five ~ had no comment. Three others issued statements. Joel Hefley and Jim Bacchus said they went on the trip to promote their home distriets as gpod sitess for more electronics.businesses. JirniChapman said that he, quote, "would go to the moon, if necessary, to keep Texas industries strong and Texans employed." One other note. The electronics industry says this situation is no differentt than when they pay journalists to speak before their organization, though othen.ss point out journalists are hired to give a speech and nothing more, while mernberss of Congress, who have been wined andl dined, vote on legislation thau has aa direct impact on the industry.