By JIM WALLS

Gov.-elect Nathan Deal put his name on three earmarks in his last year in Congress, funneling $2.1 million in federal money to three Georgia recipients. All three are represented by lobbyists who are now serving on his newly-appointed transition team.

Nothing in the public record suggests that Deal, the lobbyists or their clients acted improperly. North Georgia College hired its lobbyist after receiving the earmark and now wants him to get more federal money for the same project, registration papers show. A second recipient was represented by a different firm that employs yet another lobbyist on Deal’s inaugural committee.

The relationships, though, illustrate the potential for conflicts as some of the best-connected lobbyists in Georgia help Deal prepare for taking office in January. All told, the former congresman has named nine lobbyists representing more than 130 special interests to serve on his transition team and/or inaugural committee.

An database of congressional earmarks, maintained by Taxpayers for Common Sense and the Center for Responsive Politics, shows Deal sponsored or co-sponsored FY2019 appropriations of:

$1.2 million to North Georgia College & State University for an ROTC and Reserve Component Strategic Language Hub Pilot,

$500,000 to the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District for water and wastewater system improvements, and

$392,000 for streetscape improvements in downtown Dahlonega.

Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist Rob Leebern Jr. counts Dahlonega and the North Georgia College Foundation among his clients, according to lobbyist registration records filed with the secretary of the U.S. Senate. Dahlonega has paid $260,000 to Leebern’s firm since 2007, records show, while North Georgia College has paid $30,000 this year.

Leebern formerly served as chief of staff to then-U.S. Rep. Saxby Chambliss, now a senator, who co-sponsored the latter two earmarks.

Joe Tanner, once Georgia’s commissioner of natural resources, is the water district’s lobbyist for its dealings with state and local officials.

Leebern and Tanner were among nine lobbyists — representing more than 130 clients — that Deal has named to his transition team and inaugural committee. Also serving on the transition team are former state Sen. Pete Robinson, now chairman of Troutman Sanders Strategies; former Sen. Dan Lee; and Monty Veazey, president of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals. Deal’s peeps say all have suspended lobbying activities while working on the transition.

Four other lobbyists who have not suspended their lobbying are serving on Deal’s inaugural committee. They include Jay Morgan, former executive director of the Georgia Republican Party; Robert Highsmith, former counsel to Gov. Sonny Perdue; Jerry Usry of Albany and Steve Croy of Richmond Hill.

Health-care interests figure prominently on the client lists. They include hospitals (Grady, Wellstar, Phoebe Putney), insurance companies (Aflac, Cigna), pharmaceutical manufacturers (Merck, Proctor & Gamble), nursing homes (Pruitt Corp.), health care professionals (nurses, chiropractors) and others (dialysis provider, PPOs).

Firms offering financial services — ranging from Prudential and Amerigroup to title-pawn lenders — also pop up frequently on the client lists.

Here’s the full list of clients:

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Pete Robinson, former 10-year state legislator and state Senate president, now chairman of Troutman Sanders Strategies

Aflac

American Concrete Pipe Association

American Lawyer Media Inc.

Association of Professional Tax Services

Camp Dresser & McKee Inc. (construction & engineering)

Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Center for Civil and Human Rights

Cigna Healthcare of Georgia (insurance)

Citigroup Management Corp. (banking)

Coca-Cola Co.

Foley Products Co. (precast concrete)

General Electric Co.

General Motors LLC

Georgia Crown Distributing Co. (liquor distributor)

Georgia Press Association

Government Tax Solutions Inc. (tax collections)

Home Builders Association of Georgia

Lender Processing Services Inc. (mortgage services)

Medco Health Solutions (pharmacy, medical supplies)

Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. (pharmaceuticals)

Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce

Primerica Financial Services Home Mortgages

Prudential Financial Inc.

Recording Industry Association of America

Synovus Financial Corp. (banking)

Total System Services Inc. (electronic financial transactions)

Underground Atlanta

Verizon Wireless

Youth Services International Inc. (juvenile justice)

Joe Tanner, former commissioner of the Georgia departments of labor and natural resources, now president of Joe Tanner & Associates

American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia

Emory University

GreenFirst LLC (environmental permitting)

Heritage and Wildlife Conservation Council

IBM

LLI Management Co. LLC (hospitality & recreational facilities, does business as Linger Longer Inc.)

Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce

Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District

Pruitt Corp. (nursing homes)

Republic Services of Georgia (waste management, landfills)

South Fulton Municipal Regional Water and Sewer Authority

Tenaska Georgia Partners LP (wholesale electric power generation)

WellStar Health System

Monty Veazey



Atlanta Motor Speedway

Atreus Homes & Communities

Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals

Georgia Association of Nurse Anesthetists

Georgia Industrial Loan Association

Millercoors LLC

Pilot Travel Centers LLC

Walters Management Co. (real estate)

Rob Leebern Jr., president of federal affairs for Troutman Sanders Strategies



AGCO Corp. (farm equipment)

Anheuser Busch Companies

Armstrong Atlantic State University

City of Dahlonega

City of Forsyth

Georgia Southern University

Lake Oconee Infrastructure Alliance LLC

Montgomery Watson/Khafra (engineering)

North Georgia College and State University Foundation

Southern Company Services (electric utility)

Total System Services Inc. (electronic financial transactions)

Dan Lee, former three-term state senator and Gov. Sonny Perdue’s floor leader



American Medical Response (medical transport)

AMI (juvenile justice)

Anheuser Busch Companies Inc.

Avaya Inc. (software)

City of College Park

Corrections Corporation of America (private prisons)

Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services Inc.

Forum MDS (space management)

Georgia Academy of Family Physicians

Georgia Chapter, American College of Physicians

Georgia Mentor (residential foster care issues)

Georgians for the Brain Train (commuter rail)

Imperial Sugar Co.

Industrial Developments International (tax credit issues)

Joseph M. Still Burn Center Inc. (workers compensation issues)

Keefe (prison commissaries)

KGen Power Management Inc.

MHM Services (mental health policy)

Microsoft Corp.

Southeast Cement Association

Systems and Methods Inc. (human resources information technology)

Tintoria Piana (textile manufacturing)

Titlemax (auto title pawn)

Trane (heating & air-conditioning)

United Healthcare

Woodard & Curran (wastewater treatment)

Jay Morgan



Affordable Equity Partners (tax credits for developers)

AGL Resources (natural gas)

AT&T

Centene Corp. (health care)

The College Board

CompuCredit (subprime credit cards)

Crown Cork and Seal (beverage packaging)

DaVita (dialysis)

Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

Generic Pharmaceutical Association

Georgia EMC

Georgia Motor Trucking Association

Georgia Nurses Association

Grady Health System

The Grow Network/McGraw Hill Education (education)

KPMG, LLP (accounting)

McKesson Corp. (health care information technology)

Moneygram Payment Systems Inc. (money wire transfers)

Philips Arena/Atlanta Spirit Inc.

Procter & Gamble (pharmaceuticals & consumer products)

Public Consulting Group (education, health care)

Transurban (USA) Inc. (toll roads)

Robert S. Highsmith



American Association of Preferred Provider Organizations

AT&T

Atlanta Development Authority

Coventry First LLC (life insurance settlements)

Express Scripts (prescription management)

Gaia LLC (real estate management)

Georgia Chiropractic Association Inc.

Ideal Image Development Inc. (cosmetic laser hair removal)

Kaplan Higher Education

Liberty Healthcare Corp.

Maxim Healthcare Services Inc.

Tracfone Wireless Inc.

Vanguard Car Rental USA Inc.

Wellcare

Cobb County (federal client)

Henry County (federal client)

Paulding County (federal client)

MARTA (federal client)

William G. “Jerry” Usry



American Peanut Shellers Association

City of Bainbridge

Darton College Foundation

Georgia Rural Water Association

Phoebe Putney Health System

The Peanut Institute

United Poultry Growers Association

Steve Croy

