Sen. Jason Atkinson vows to file a defamation lawsuit against a lobbyist who he said failed to provide him with timely information about a 2002 conference in Maui so he could disclose it to state officials.
"I'm absolutely angry that my character has been called into question," said the Central Point Republican.
Two state senators — Atkinson and Bruce Starr, R-Hillsboro — said beer and wine distributors paid more than $2,500 each for their airfare, hotel, meals and golf at a 2002 conference in Maui, according to reports received by the state ethics commission Thursday.
Sen. Ryan Deckert, D-Beaverton, and former Sen. Tony Corcoran, D-Cottage Grove, said they attended the conference but did not report that their expenses were paid by the beverage group.
Atkinson, who was a speaker at the conference, said he received accounting information for the trip from the Oregon Beer and Wine Distributors Association this week and immediately forwarded it to the Oregon Government Standards and Practices Commission.
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Atkinson said he has retained an attorney to prepare a lawsuit against the lobbyist. He said he wouldn't reveal the name of the attorney at this point.
"I will fight to no end," he said.
Starr, who was in the Oregon House when he attended the 2002 trip with his wife, said he faxed new information about the trip to the ethics commission late Wednesday, less than an hour after Paul Romain, the beer and wine distributors' lobbyist, provided him with details of the travel costs.
"The understanding was the accounting had been done in a way it didn't need to be reported," Starr said. "The minute I had the expenses, I filed a report. I can't file anything if I don't know what the expenses are."
Atkinson said, "I hurt for what this has done for my friend Bruce Starr."
The developments follow reports by The Oregonian newspaper this week that three other legislators had attended the beer and wine group's Maui conference in 2004 but failed to report.
In another instance this May, lawmakers went to a Hawaii conference using personal or campaign funds and received $30,000 in contributions at the event.
It's legal under Oregon law for lobbyists to wine and dine legislators, but any such spending over a certain amount — $150 this year — must be reported to the ethics commission. Failure to do so carries a maximum civil penalty of $1,000. Knowingly filing a false report can bring an additional $1,000 fine.
The Oregon Beer and Wine Distributors Association has invited a few lawmakers for an expenses-paid trip to Hawaii every other year in recent history. The group books a resort hotel and mixes discussions of taxes, recycling and other issues with buffet dinners and golf.
Atkinson said that about three years ago he decided he wasn't going to deal with lobbyists, returning campaign contributions sent by tobacco interests.
"Almost all the lobbyists were against me in my campaign for governor," he said, pointing out that his opponent, Ron Saxton, raised more money because of contributions from lobbyists.
Atkinson said the issue with the beer and wine lobbyists has given both the Legislature and lobbyists a black eye.
"The number one lesson for me is I will never trust a lobbyist," he said. "I will not have my integrity and reputation taken on by a special interest."
Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476 or dmann@mailtribune.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
