AND THE MOST LOBBIED AGENCY IS… NPR. “Since 1998, more than $41 billion has been spent by companies, unions and other organizations to lobby federal agencies and the U.S. Congress. In 2013, more than 9,900 lobbyists spent $3.23 billion trying to influence law writers and policy makers. But which agencies do they target most?”
KAUFMAN ON LOBBING REFORM. Delawareonline.com. “It is long past time to revisit the Lobbying Disclosure Act, and a bill recently introduced by Sens. Michael Bennett (D-Colorado) and Jon Tester (D-Montana) does just that. It would close the lobbyist loophole and institute a lifetime ban on lobbying by former members of Congress. It deserves support.”
THE POINT OF SUPER PAC SPENDING. Watertown Daily Times. “$857,120.64 can buy a lot of things. It could buy you a waterfront home in the Adirondacks or on the St. Lawrence River, close the gap in the Edwards-Knox Central School District budget, land you some coveted Beatles memorabilia or get you a small yacht.”
CA: GET REAL ON LOCAL REFORM. Santa Cruz Sentinel. “Cities large and small, including San Francisco, New York, Ventura and Boulder have already enacted meaningful election reform. Guided by these successes, Councilman Micah Posner and a group of concerned citizens had proposed that Santa Cruz make mandatory its existing per-donor limits.”
IL: LARGE DONATION. HuffPo. “With a $2.5 million contribution to Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner, Chicago-based hedge fund executive Ken Griffin has written the largest check to a political campaign in recent history.”
KY: ALTRIA IN THE LEAD. Courier-Journal. “Altria Group, the parent company of Philip Morris USA and U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, was the top spender among lobbyists in the 2014 Kentucky General Assembly, spending $156,200 — far more than any other company or group.”
OH: CAMPAIGN FINANCE TAKEAWAYS. Cincinnati.com. “A young lawyer from Blue Ash has more campaign cash than nearly every other Democratic Statehouse candidate, a new Republican state Senate candidate has a hefty financial advantage but must win over a heavily Democratic electorate, and Republicans continued their fundraising dominance for statewide campaigns.”
WA: MOVING ON MEALS. Bellingham Herald. “The Legislative Ethics Board will take comment next week on four proposals intended to crack down on free meals from lobbyists to Washington state legislators.”
HAVE A GOOD DAY.