Statement from Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder:
Campaign Contributions from Enron

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 1, 2002

Contact: Jen Detwiler
614-222-0966

The following statement can be attributed in whole or in part to Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder:

"The demise of Enron has had a direct and adverse financial impact on millions of Americans. Given the current precarious state of our economy, the situation has for some investors made a gloomy economic outlook even darker.

"Since Enron fell, many have raised questions about political contributions made to officeholders across the country. Here in Ohio, the House Republican Campaign Committee received contributions from Enron totaling $8,000 between 1998 and 2001. During that same time period my own campaign committee, Citizens for Householder, received contributions totaling $2,500.

"Although it is clear that Enron did not receive preferential treatment from the Ohio legislature, it would be regrettable for a perception of impropriety to overwhelm the reality of the situation.

"As such, we wanted to find an appropriate and legal means by which to return the funds. In the wake of the Enron collapse, the obvious choice was to locate an organization that would directly benefit those most affected by the company’s bankruptcy -- either employees of or investors in Enron. Ohio law dictates that campaign dollars can only be donated to certain IRS-designated charitable organizations. Our task has been to find an organization to which we can legally donate the funds.

"Working with Ohio Citizen Action, we discovered that the Greater Houston Community Foundation has established a fund for Houston-based employees of Enron. The foundation is an IRS 501(c)(3) designated organization, bringing it in line with Ohio’s campaign finance laws on charitable donations.

"I have authorized donations of $2,500 from Citizens for Householder and $8,000 from the House Republican Campaign Committee to this fund. In doing so, I hope to reinforce to Ohioans that the House Republicans do not support even the appearance of preferential treatment, while at the same time supporting those who have been most affected by these unfortunate circumstances."

Checks can be made payable to Greater Houston Community Foundation and sent to 4550 Post Oak Place, Suite 317, Houston, TX 77027.