Forty-two Falcons tickets. Two seats at a Jeff Foxworthy concert. Four hundred and thirty-five dinners and one mobile phone charger.
Georgia lawmakers and lobbyists gather Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011, at the Wild Game Supper
Those items are among the more than $250,000 lobbyists spent on members of the General Assembly and other elected officials in January, according to reports filed with the State Ethics Commission.
Under new ethics laws adopted last year, lobbyists must now disclose every two weeks during the legislative session how they are spending money to influence public policy. The reports from the first two filings in January show business interests -- from check cashing to Coca-Cola -- accounted for 10 percent of all spending, but that nearly a third came from government entities or local organizations such as the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, the Georgia Municipal Association and chambers of commerce.
An analysis of those records by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also shows that the lawmakers receiving the most gifts, dinners and tickets are the leaders in the House and Senate most responsible for shaping legislation. At the top of that list is House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, who received $2,747 in gifts in January, and Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, who accepted $2,230 in dinners, tickets and other items. Public Service Commissioner Bubba McDonald was third, having received more than $1,500 in lodging and food.
Lobbyists in January entertained lawmakers at restaurants such as BLT Steak in Atlanta, where a 14-ounce ribeye costs $36, and French American Brasserie, where the coq au vin costs $23. But they also bought legislators $4 sandwiches from cafeterias around the Capitol, paid for copies of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution or delivered snacks to lawmakers' office staff.
For legislators, lobbyist largess comes with the territory. Some events, such as the popular Savannah Chatham Seafood Feast, paid for by the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, are open to all lawmakers and staff. The tab for that event alone was more than $84,000.
But much of lobbyist spending comes in private dinners that offer opportunities to get key lawmakers alone. Senate President Pro Tem Tommie Williams, R-Lyons, one of the most powerful lawmakers at the Capitol, said he turns down more offers than he accepts.
"I turn a lot of folks down," said Williams, who accepted more than $900 in gifts in January. "But, I need to know about the issues. If it's something I need to learn more about, I'm more likely to consider that."
For new lawmakers, the atmosphere at the Capitol can be daunting and confusing.
Rep. Tom Taylor, a freshman Republican from Dunwoody, has made it clear his interest is in getting up to speed, not getting freebies.
There have been no hunting trips offered or taken. Taylor did drive himself down to Forsyth -- ?on my own nickel? -- to go on a tour of tree farms organized by the Georgia Forestry Association. The tour included a stop at a farm owned by former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz, a fried chicken lunch and a classroom session with a PowerPoint presentation on the industry.
?I understand how it works," Taylor said, "but it?s more education than recreation for me.?
Taylor said he waves off the toys and tchotchkes that land on his desk. The former defense contractor did stop in on Aerospace Day to talk shop and grab a free bagel, and he also attends the mass feedings organized by various chambers of commerce and other groups.
?It?s not like we?re going out to Chops or Bones every night, at least not me,? he said of the buffet meals. ?It?s just a way to meet offline with business people and hear what their interests are.?
Lobbyists watch who is in power, who has gained or lost power. Rep. Amy Carter, R-Valdosta, recently switched parties and also was named one of Gov. Nathan Deal's floor leaders in the House. In January, lobbyists spent more than $430 on her. While Carter said it does not seem like she is suddenly more popular with lobbyists since she joined the majority party and gained a leadership role, the data suggest otherwise. In January 2010, when she was still a Democrat, lobbyists spent only $145 on Carter.
But, sometimes, lobbyists are simply maintaining relationships, no matter the rise and fall of a particular lawmaker. Rep. Ben Harbin, R-Evans, was until last month chairman of the powerful budget-writing Appropriations Committee. Harbin, however, said his interaction with lobbyists has not changed now that he is no longer in a leadership role.
"Most of them are friends anyway," Harbin said of the lobbyists he interacts with. In January of this year, Harbin accepted more than $730 in gifts from lobbyists -- all but $76 after he lost his chairmanship. In January 2010, lobbyists spent $520 on Harbin.
Ethics watchdogs say that lobbyist spending has its place in a democracy, but that there should be limits. Common Cause Georgia, one of several groups that have banded together to call for a cap on lobbyist spending, said it is not concerned with most of the dinners, lunches and meetings.
"We're not trying to eliminate business lunches or business dinners because we recognize legislators' days are pretty full," said William Perry, executive director of Common Cause Georgia. "A dinner paid for someone isn't our concern. It is the bigger luxury item."
Common Cause, the Tea Party Patriots, Georgia Watch and ethics advocate Ray Boyd -- who have formed the Georgia Alliance for Ethics Reform -- want a $100 limit on any individual expenditure by a lobbyist. Current law has no cap, but lobbyists must disclose how they spend their money.
If the $100 cap were in place, about 60 expenditures -- out of more than 1,000 in January -- would have exceeded the limit.
"Those items over $100 are more the peddling of influence than an attempt to conduct business," Perry said.
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How can we ever critisize another goverement anywhere when bribery is what our laws are based on.
anyone that cannot see through this is on the short end of the bus.
how does this continue like this.
its as bad as the 14 yr old girl in bangladesh that was raped by her uncle and then in a fatwah was beaten and killed . No charges pending on the uncle.
