A bill requiring full disclosure of lobbyist expenditures is heading to the governor’s desk after being fast-tracked through the Legislature as part of the “rocket docket,” a set of bills prioritized after gaining legislative approval in previous sessions only to be vetoed by former governor Susana Martinez.
Meanwhile, lobbyists or their employers have already reported spending almost $90,000 during the session.
SB 191 fixes a mistake made by legislators in 2016 when they inadvertently got rid of a requirement that lobbyists and their employers report a total of smaller lobbying expenses. Transparency advocates characterized it as a step backward in an ongoing effort to create more transparent government.
If Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signs the bill, which she has indicated she will, all expenditures will have to be reported in the future, including the total of individual expenses under $100. Current law requires lobbyists to report expenses above $100 individually.
While passage of the bill is a victory for transparency advocates, it simply returns lobbyists to a level of public disclosure that existed prior to 2016. And lobbyist reports are still generally opaque.
The amounts spent are reported, but unless a lobbyist takes the initiative to list who they spend money on, the public doesn’t know who is being wined and dined.
That information isn’t required. Nor is disclosing what legislation lobbyists may be urging legislators to vote for or against. Meanwhile, people, nonprofits, unions and companies that employ lobbyists don’t have to publicly report what they spend annually on lobbying salaries.
Since the Legislature convened on Jan. 16, at least $86,420 has been spent lobbying lawmakers. The amount is most likely much larger because during the session, lobbyists are only required to report expenditures above $500.
Here’s what we know, and don’t know, about that spending.
A big chunk — $27,250 — is for ski passes to Santa Fe Ski, spending that shows up regularly year after year.
Louisiana Energy Services spent $1,901 taking a set of Republican lawmakers and their guests to dinner at the Inn of the Anasazi on Jan. 22. The lawmakers were Reps. Cathrynn Brown of Carlsbad, Tim Lewis of Rio Rancho, Bill Rehm of Albuquerque, Larry Scott of Hobbs, and Sens. Ron Griggs of Alamogordo, Gay Kernan of Hobbs, Stuart Ingle of Portales, and Gregg Fulfer of Jal. LES didn’t disclose issues or legislation that may have been discussed, but disclosure of who the company treated to dinner is more than is required by New Mexico law.
All the rest of that $86,420 was spent on dinners and receptions for undisclosed recipients, other than in a couple of instances specifying that Lujan Grisham or all legislators and others in the executive branch were invited. The public is in the dark about who those recipients are or what legislation may have been discussed.
Here are the lobbyist expenditures reported since the legislative session began:
Lobbyist or Company | Amount | Date | Expenditure On Behalf Of | Location of expenditure | Purpose | Beneficiary |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scott Smart | $9,957 | 1/16/19 | Inn and Spa at Loretto | meet and greet, discussion pending legislation | various legislators and staff | |
Arthur Melendres | $3,000 | 1/21/19 | New Mexico Broadcasters | La Fonda Hotel | Dinner | New Mexico Legislators |
Randy Traynor | $11,063 | 1/22/19 | New Mexico Automotive Dealers Association | Inn and Spa at Loretto | Reception | New Mexico Legislators |
Louisiana Energy Services | $1,901 | 1/22/19 | Louisiana Energy Services | Inn of the Anasazi | Dinner | Reps: Cathrynn Brown, Tim Lewis, Larry Scott, William Rehm & guest; Sens: Ron Griggs, Gay Kernan, Stuart Ingle, Gregg Fulfer & guest |
Scott Scanland | $3,886 | 1/23/19 | Self | Osteria Restaurant | Dinner. Education on various issues. | Lt. Governor, various Legislators, staff, spouses and guests. |
George Brooks | $27,250 | 1/24/19 | Ski New Mexico | Ski New Mexico | to indroduce and expose the ski industry to our legislators | Ski passes |
National Education Association NM | $7,650 | 1/25/19 | NEA-NM | NEA office | Reception | Governor, Legislators and NEA-NM Members. |
Joseph Thompson | $11,689 | 1/28/19 | Comcast | Restaurant Martin | Comcast legislative dinner | All legislators invited, spouses, guests |
University of NM | $10,024 | 1/28/19 | University of NM | La Fonda Hotel | UNM Alumni Association Legislator Appreciation Rec | State legislators, Governor and Lt Governor of New Mexico, New Mexico elected Officials, New Mexico Cabinet Secretaries, Director of Legislative Finance Committee and LFC Analysts, Legislative Education Study Committee Director, members and staff, plus UNM groups |
Total: | $86,420 |