Commemorative Series No. 3 · The Fine Print
OUTSPENTNo. 04/74
Susan
Collins
U.S. Senate · R-ME
Taken from the card industry
$228,229
S.256 · the bankruptcy bill · 2005tap to flip ⤺
WHO THEY WORK FORNo. 04/74
Credit Cards$165,389
Card-Issuing Banks$62,840
Made it harder to clear credit-card debt in bankruptcy. Filings got ~38% costlier; insolvency didn't fall. · 109-1-44OUTSPENT
Card 4 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
$228,229
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 Collins's control (Dirigo PAC) took $377,773 from banks, card lenders, drug makers and insurers.
Source: FEC; Dirigo 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
Collins voted with the money in more than one set:
Don't recognize a logo? Here's the key.
Credit Cards$165,389
MBNA$128,200
Discover$19,654
Consumer Bankers Assn$7,500
Visa$5,000
American Express$3,285
Capital One$1,750
Card-Issuing Banks$62,840
Am. Bankers Assn.$37,500
Citigroup$7,525
Bank of America$5,800
Wells Fargo$5,375
Am. Financial Services$4,500
JPMorgan$2,140