Letters

Good bill catches bad virus

06/13/03

Steve Duin outlined House Bill 2892, legislation that appears to be dead despite its potential to save Oregon money ("Oregon is still a soft touch for Microsoft," May 25). The question is, why?

Lobbyists opposing HB2892 represent Microsoft, the American Electronics Association and Initiative for Software Choice. In 2002, Microsoft gave $5,000 to the Ted Kulongoski campaign, and the American Electronics Association gave just shy of $39,000 to legislative candidates and $24,850 to the four leadership political action committees that work to elect candidates for each caucus.

Microsoft first registered as a lobbyist employer in Oregon in 2000 and has spent $39,000 since. The American Electronics Association spent $372,476 from 1997 to 2002 to influence state legislation.

The proponents of HB2892 -- teachers and technology experts interested in the cost savings and other benefits of open-source software -- have made no campaign contributions, nor have they hired lobbyists.

Maybe the lopsided spending explains why -- even after a work group resolved the concerns of the Oregon Department of Administrative Services -- this idea seems to have caught a bad virus in Salem.

SARAH WETHERSON
Research Associate
Money in Politics Research Action Project
Southwest Portland