Former Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) may not legally be allowed to lobby his colleagues on the Hill until 2013, but that hasn’t stopped him from taking the job of Hollywood’s top lobbyist.

The Motion Picture Association of America announced today that Dodd will lead the organization as its chairman and chief executive officer. (See Dodd’s new “Revolving Door” profile here.)

Last year, Dodd retired from the U.S. Senate after a 36-year-long career in public service, amid public outrage over his perceived close ties to Wall Street and poor polling numbers.

Dodd served three terms in the U.S. House and five terms in the U.S. Senate. In 2008, he unsuccessfully sought his party’s nomination for president.

The move to the MPAA comes after Dodd promised to abstain from passing through Washington, D.C.’s famed “revolving door” between Capitol Hill and K Street.

When asked by the Connecticut Mirror last year what he planned to do after his retirement, Dodd bluntly said, “No lobbying.”

Now, he’s singing a slightly different tune.

“I am truly excited about representing the interests of one of the most creative and productive industries in America, not only in Washington but around the world,” Dodd said in the MPAA press release (.pdf file here). “The major motion picture studios consistently produce and distribute the most sought after and enjoyable entertainment on earth. Protecting this great American export will be my highest priority.”

(This isn’t the first time there’s been confusion about Dodd living up to his promises, as OpenSecrets Blog noted during a controversy last year regarding campaign contributions Dodd received from employees of insurance giant AIG, which received bailout funds from taxpayers.)

The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 requires a two-year “cooling-off” period before ex-senators can be employed as lobbyists with business before their former colleagues.

Lobbying activity across the board, however, is not prohibited during this cooling-off period. Former lawmakers may immediately take employment with organizations that lobby and even register as lobbyists — so as long as they avoid making any direct “lobbying contacts” with their former colleagues.

By joining the MPAA, Dodd will face the two-year ban on lobbying his former colleagues, which officially does not end until 2013. But that needn’t restrict him too much.

“There’s a lot he can do,” Meredith McGehee, policy director at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, told OpenSecrets Blog. “He’s going to be able to do the big picture stuff.”

For example, Dodd would be able to be a public spokesman for MPAA and serve as a strategist behind the scenes. He would also be able to lobby the executive branch.

Lawmakers-turned-lobbyists can avoid breaching the official ban on making “lobbying contacts” with former colleagues, McGehee continued, by never actually going to a member of Congress or congressional staffer to discuss a piece of legislation.

In 2010, the MPAA spent $1.66 million on federal lobbying. It targeted a range of government agencies — such as the Department of Justice, the Department of Commerce, the Department of State and the Patent and Trademark Office — in addition to the president and both houses of Congress.

Politico characterizes Dodd’s new job as a “$1.2 million gig.”

That’s a sure raise for the former senator whose personal net worth in 2009 — the most recent year available — totaled somewhere between $763,000 and $2.2 million, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics. Though sizeable, this put Dodd in the bottom half of all senators — ranking 62nd in the body of 100 senators.

The MPAA has been a relatively bipartisan contributor with its campaign cash.

During the 2010 election cycle, its political action committee contributed a total of $26,500 to House Democrats and $27,900 to House Republicans. It also contributed more than $33,800 to Senate Democrats and more than $16,000 to Senate Republicans.

The film industry PAC raised a total of $134,750 during the 2010 election cycle and had $9,538 cash on hand at the end of December.

Notably, the PAC gave $1,000 to Dodd during his 2004 re-election campaign.

Former MPAA head Jack Valenti, and his wife Mary, have also given Dodd a combined $7,500 over the years, with $5,500 coming since 2003, according to the Center’s research.

Center for Responsive Politics money-in-politics reporter Michael Beckel contributed to this report.



For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics.For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: [email protected]

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