Lawmakers worked last month for roughly two weeks. Lobbyists made the most of it by spending nearly $100,000, renewing the concern of watchdog groups who want tougher ethics laws.
Lobbyists spent the money on meals and other goodies for lawmakers, their family members and government officials from Aug. 15 through the end of the special legislative session Aug. 31, according to disclosure reports reviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
That equates to almost $10,000 each working day of the special session. And it came on top of the nearly $1 million lobbyists spent earlier this year during the General Assembly’s regular session, which ended April 14.
During the regular session, lobbyists spent roughly $25,000 a workday courting lawmakers. Though lobbyists spent less during the special session, they did it during a time when they likely had no business before lawmakers. The General Assembly’s main task last month was limited to redrawing the state’s political maps.
And yet, the National Rifle Association spent nearly $800 for meals with legislative and state leaders, including Attorney General Sam Olens. Coca-Cola threw a $3,000 bash for freshmen lawmakers, despite it not being their first session. And the University System of Georgia, with its schools fresh off $170 million in state funding cuts amid a third consecutive year of reductions, shelled out more than $10,000 to host UGA alumni who serve in the Legislature.
In Saturday's newspaper, the AJC takes a deep look at recent lobbyist disclosure reports. It's a story you'll get only by picking up a copy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution or logging on to the paper's iPad app. Subscribe today.
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