Posts tagged Lobbying

Fundraisers Ask For ‘Corporate Contributions Only’

Some Michigan lawmakers have been headlining fundraisers where donors are specifically asked to make “corporate contributions only," according to invitations obtained by MCFN. It's a request that could help ensure the sources of money and the groups collecting it remain secret. read more

posted on 09/24/2019

Record Amounts Of Free Food For Some Lawmakers

So far in 2019, a small group of influential state lawmakers has been consuming larger than normal amounts of free food and drink purchased by lobbyists. Those lobbyists spent more than $4,000 on meals and beverages for three individual lawmakers over the first seven months of 2019, according to new disclosures. read more

posted on 09/11/2019

SPREADSHEET: Lobbyist Food And Drink Spending January Through July 2019

This is a list of how much money lobbyists and organizations reported spending on food and drink purchases for individual state officeholders from Jan. 1, 2019, through July 31, 2019. The numbers are based on disclosures filed with the Michigan Secretary of State by the lobbyists and organizations. read more

posted on 09/11/2019

How A County-By-County Push Is Boosting Line 5

A company that owns a controversial oil pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac was one of the sponsors of a recent gathering of county officeholders from across Michigan. At the event, the officeholders voted to take a policy position in favor of the pipeline, a pipeline Michigan's attorney general is trying to shut down. read more

posted on 09/06/2019

Lobbyist Spending Soars In Michigan In 2019

Lobbyist spending in Michigan is on a record pace in 2019. Lobbyists reported spending $23.2 million over the first seven months of 2019, a 6-percent increase over the previous high for the same period in past years, according to disclosures. The spending came as a new class of lawmakers took office and the Legislature overhauled the state's auto insurance system. read more

posted on 09/05/2019

SPREADSHEET: Top 200 Spenders On Lobbying January-July 2019

This spreadsheet lists the 200 groups that have reported spending the most on lobbying in Michigan over the first seven months of 2019. The numbers are based on disclosures filed with the Michigan Secretary of State. The disclosures were due on Sept. 3, 2019. read more

posted on 09/05/2019

A Company, A Bill And The Opioid Crisis

A majority of Michigan's 83 counties have sued drug distributors and manufacturers over their alleged role in the opioid epidemic. However, one of the companies named in the suits registered to lobby in Michigan this year and could soon score a victory in the Legislature. read more

posted on 09/04/2019

Inside One Of The Most Influential Groups In Lansing

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce publicly weighed in on 28 bills or bill packages during the 2018 lame-duck session. The Legislature agreed with the Chamber on 24 of them. The Michigan Campaign Finance Network and Detroit Free Press columnist Nancy Kaffer partnered to examine the group's influence. read more

posted on 05/30/2019

State Officeholders Had 774 Fundraisers In 2018

Elected state officeholders who served in 2018 disclosed having at least 774 fundraisers during the year, according to an analysis of hundreds of campaign finance disclosures. The most popular places to raise money were all within walking distance of the Capitol, and the wide majority of the most popular days for fundraisers were days the Legislature was also in session. read more

posted on 04/25/2019

Lame Duck Spurred A Surge In Lobbyist Spending

As state lawmakers sent nearly 400 bills to then-Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk in the closing weeks of the year, lobbyists upped their efforts in Lansing to influence policy decisions, helping to make 2018 a record year for lobbyist spending, according to state disclosures. Overall, lobbyists reported spending $40.3 million in 2018. read more

posted on 02/27/2019

Spreadsheet: Top 200 Spenders On Lobbying In 2018

This document lists the top 200 groups and firms that reported spending the most on lobbying Michigan state government during 2018. The numbers are based on filings with the Michigan secretary of state. Overall, lobbyists reported spending $40.3 million in 2018. read more

posted on 02/27/2019

Who Funded Gov. Whitmer’s Inauguration?

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s transition organization voluntarily released a list of inauguration sponsors. The list included 182 groups or individuals who fell into sponsorship categories ranging from $100,000 to $1,000. Some of the groups on the list previously supported Whitmer’s opponent in the election, and many of them will be working with state government on upcoming policy decisions. read more

posted on 02/11/2019

Lobbyist Spending On Near-Record Pace In Michigan

According to new data submitted to the Secretary of State, lobbyists reported spending $21.6 million to influence state government over the first seven months of 2018. It’s a total that falls just shy of the record pace for lobbyist spending set last year when lobbyists disclosed spending $21.8 million over the first seven months. read more

posted on 09/21/2018

Emails Cast Doubt About The State Of Michigan’s Ties To Enbridge In Line 5 Debate

As a deadline looms for Gov. Snyder to decide the future of a pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac, he has touted efforts to weigh the issue independently. But his administration has given Enbridge avenues to influence the debate. The Michigan Campaign Finance Network and Bridge Magazine have examined thousands of internal documents, investigating potential conflicts of interest in the state's handling of Line 5. read more

posted on 07/11/2018

Michigan Lobbyists Spent $39.4 Million Last Year

Lobbyists disclosed spending $39.4 million trying to influence state government in 2017. It’s the second highest total Michigan lobbyists have reported spending in a single year, according to state filings. The record spending total came one year ago in 2016 when lobbyists reported spending $39.9 million. read more

posted on 03/02/2018

16 Lawmakers Have Received More Than $1,000 In Free Food And Drink So Far In 2017, Filings Show

Michigan lobbyists reported spending $540,598 on food and drink purchases for public officeholders over the first seven months of 2017, according to new state disclosures. That total is the second highest ever posted for the first seven months of a year and isn't far from the record. Some state officeholders, including high-ranking lawmakers, have received a larger portion of the free food and drink from lobbyists than others. read more

posted on 09/18/2017

Lobbyist Spending In Michigan Stays On Record Pace

Lobbyists reported spending a record amount trying to influence Michigan officeholders in 2016. Over the first seven months of 2017, they matched their record pace. From Jan. 1, 2017, through July 31, 2017, lobbyists reported spending a total of $21.8 million in Michigan, about the same total that they spent over the first seven months of 2016, $21.7 million. read more

posted on 09/11/2017

Amid Push For Tax Incentives, Quicken Loans Boosted Lobbying Efforts, According To Disclosures

As its chairman pushed for tax breaks to help spur a 52-story development in downtown Detroit, mortgage company Quicken Loans increased its efforts to develop relationships with Lansing lawmakers. According to new disclosures, Quicken Loans spent more on lobbying state government in the first seven months of 2017 — $159,475 — than it had spent in an entire year previously. read more

posted on 09/11/2017

Michigan Lawmakers Disclosed Having More Than 400 Fundraisers Last Year

State lawmakers who served in the Legislature last year self-reported having 414 campaign fundraisers in 2016, according to MCFN’s review of hundreds of campaign finance disclosures. About 46 percent of the events, 192 fundraisers, took place in Lansing on days either the House or the Senate was scheduled to be in session. read more

posted on 03/27/2017

2016: Another Record Year For Lobbying In Lansing

Last year saw more spending on lobbying than any year before, according to new filings with the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office. Lobbyists in Michigan reported spending $39.99 million in 2016. It continues a general upward trend for spending to influence lawmakers. The previous high came just one year before in 2015 when lobbyists reported $38.66 million in spending. read more

posted on 03/03/2017

In Michigan, The Jump From Lawmaker To Lobbyist Is Usually A Quick One

Unlike Michigan, more than 30 states already have “cooling-off” measures in place, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Facing term limits, 38 lawmakers departed the Michigan House at the end of 2016. If recent history is any indication, several will become lobbyists, and those who do will most likely make the jump within the next six months. read more

posted on 01/17/2017

Touting A 'Looming Energy Shortfall,' Utility-Connected Nonprofit Spent $7.4 Million Last Year

Without having to disclose its donors, a nonprofit organization that’s tried to influence state lawmakers’ debate over energy policy spent $7.4 million in 2015, according to its newest tax filing. The money paid for phone calls, mail campaigns and hundreds of television ads. The group is called Citizens for Michigan's Energy Future, which has connections to the state's largest electric utilities and has promoted bills that the utilities support. Read more by following the link below. read more

posted on 08/18/2016

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