Washington, DC...As Mothers Day - and the Million Mom March - approaches, Public Campaign is issuing a report on how campaign money frustrates mothers’ concerns every day in Washington on a long list of issues.

"From gun violence, to drunk driving standards, to children’s exposure to pesticides, to collecting child support, generous campaign givers often oppose what is in the interest of mothers and their families," said Ellen Miller, Public Campaign’s president. "Mothers, Money, and Politics shows how money flows to the Members of Congress who support these campaign contributors’ agendas," she added.

The report also explores the systemic problems that lead to poor treatment of women’s concerns in politics. Women make up 51 percent of the population, yet only 12 percent of the Members of Congress are women. "Because incumbents have a fund-raising advantage over challengers, it is difficult for women to get a foothold in Congress," noted Nick Nyhart, Public Campaign’s executive director.

Highlights from the report include:

Since 1997, the National Rifle Association (NRA) and its allies have made political expenditures outweighing those of gun control groups by a ratio of almost twenty-three to one. Last year, in the wake of the Columbine tragedy, Congress voted down proposals to require background checks for sales at gun shows-where three out of four of the weapons used at Columbine were bought. (See vote correlation below.)

The tobacco industry has contributed at least $2.1 million so far toward the 2000 elections. A series of bills that would strengthen regulations against selling tobacco to minors are now stalled in congressional committees.

In 1998, the alcohol lobby defeated legislation, proposed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)-that would have required states to adopt stricter drunk-driving standards - or lose their highway and transit funding. During the 1998 elections, the alcohol industry gave $7.9 million to federal candidates and parties-MADD gave nothing.

Women are the fastest growing group in the U.S. in filing bankruptcy. The House and Senate have both passed bankruptcy reform bills that make it more difficult for women to collect child support. The senators who voted against an amendment that would have strengthened protections for child support in the legislation received $34,520 more, on average, from the banking and credit industry over six years than the senators who voted for stronger protection for children.

Children are more vulnerable to the effects of pesticides than adults are. Bills that would require schools to adopt safer pest control methods are stalled in the agriculture committees, where the members receive far more contributions, on average, from the pesticide industry, than their colleagues. In the Senate, Agriculture Committee members received nearly six times the average received by other senators over six years. In the House, since 1997, committee members received, on average, 11 times more than other House members did.