July 13, 2011 - On Tuesday the BULB Act (HR 2417) failed to gain the 2/3 vote threshold needed for passage. Only a handful of Democrats broke from their party and voted to pass the measure, while only 10 Republicans voted against the measure. The bill was supported by conservative policy groups such as Americans for Tax Reform, Freedom Action, and Judicial Watch. The measure was opposed by environmental policy groups such as the Alliance to Save Energy and the Natural Resources Defense Council, as well as the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, a group that claims light bulb manufacturer General Electric as one of its members.
- Interest groups that supported this motion (Republican/Conservative, Fiscal & tax policy) gave on average 15 times as much to House members who voted 'YES' ($24,672) as they gave to House members who voted 'NO' ($1,698).
- Interest groups that opposed this motion (Environmental policy, Electronics manufacturing & services) gave on average 88% more to House members who voted 'NO' ($6,875) than to House members who voted 'YES' ($3,657).
- Republican/Conservative interest groups that supported this motion gave on average 15 times as much to House members who voted 'YES' ($24,632) as they gave to House members who voted 'NO' ($1,695).
- Environmental policy interest groups that opposed this motion gave on average 5.9 times as much to House members who voted 'NO' ($4,489) as they gave to House members who voted 'YES' ($761).
Methodology: A MapLight analysis of campaign contributions to House members in office on day of vote, from interest groups invested in the vote according to MapLight, January 1, 2009 – December 31, 2010. Contributions data source: OpenSecrets.org
