Who Are Agents Of Registered Lobbying Firms For The 2017- 2018 Biennium?

Lobbyist Spending Soars In Michigan In 2019

Total Disclosed Lobbyist Spending Reached $23.2 Meg Over The First Seven Months Of 2019. The Previous High For That Menses Was $21.8 Million.

By THE MICHIGAN CAMPAIGN FINANCE NETWORK

LANSING (Sept. 5, 2019) — About l new land lawmakers took function at the start of 2019. And lobbyists have been spending a record corporeality to get to know them.

Michigan lobbyists reported spending $23.ii million over the first seven months of 2019, a 6-percentage increase over the previous high for the same flow in past years, according to disclosures.

New disclosures, which were due Tuesday, covered spending that took place from January. i, 2019, through July 31, 2019. The spending total includes payments made to individuals who stand for clients in Lansing, lobbyist-funded food purchases for officeholders and lobbyist-funded travel purchases for officeholders.

In Michigan, lobbyists file reports on their activities twice a year. The second batch of disclosures volition come at the end of January 2020 and cover from Aug. 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2019.

Equally of 2018, i,501 groups, businesses or labor unions had registered to vestibule Michigan officeholders. Meanwhile, 1,443 individuals or firms had registered every bit lobbyist agents to represent clients in the halls of the Capitol.

The 4 largest spenders on lobbying in Michigan and so far in 2019 have been multi-customer firms that represent an assortment of interests. Governmental Consultant Services Inc. reported spending $913,343 over the first seven months of the year. James H. Karoub Associates reported spending $790,017. Kelley Cawthorne reported spending $725,282. And Midwest Strategy Group reported spending $713,799.

Those figures don't tell the whole story of how much multi-customer firms are paid by clients because not all of the payments autumn under Michigan's disclosure laws, which generally focus on straight communication with state officeholders.

A list of the acme 200 spenders on lobbying is bachelor at this link.

The interest groups that have spent the nearly on lobbying so far this year have been the Michigan Health & Hospital Clan ($358,058), MGM Grand Detroit ($247,302) and the Michigan Credit Union League ($239,177).

The Michigan Health & Hospital Association was heavily involved in fight over changing the state's machine insurance laws. MGM K Detroit has been involved in a legislative push to overhaul casino regulations.

The overall spending full of $23.2 million is $1.4 one thousand thousand above the previous loftier for the showtime seven months of a twelvemonth. That high came in 2017. Still, the year that saw near spending over the unabridged 12 months was 2018. Last twelvemonth saw a surge in spending during the lame duck session after the election and earlier term-limited officeholders left office. Generally, lobbyist spending has been trending upward for a decade.

Over the showtime seven months of 2019, lobbyists accept reported spending $515,165 purchasing food and drinks for state officeholders. That total beats the food and drink total for January through July 2018 but fall brusk of the 2015 tape of $552,524.

The Michigan Campaign Finance Network volition clarify the food and drinkable disclosures in the coming days.

The post-obit is a listing of some groups that have hiked their spending on lobbying in 2019:

—Enbridge Energy is currently fighting attempts to shut downwards its Line 5 oil and natural gas liquids pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac because of environmental concerns. The visitor reported spending $105,729 on lobbying over the vii months of the yr. Over the same period in 2018, it reported spending just $29,490 on lobbying.

— Immigration Centers of America, which had plans to build an immigrant detention center in Michigan according to The Detroit News, registered to lobby on February. 6, 2019. It has reported spending $51,912 on lobbying since then.

— Three professional person sports leagues have as well increased their disclosed spending in Michigan. The National Football League reported spending $36,000 on lobbying over the kickoff 7 months of 2019. The National Basketball game Association reported spending $32,884. And Major League Baseball reported spending $31,782. None of the three spent more than $x,000 over the start seven months of 2018.