Post by dave on Mar 28, 2013 23:10:48 GMT -5
New York lobbyists spent $15 million less to influence pols in 2012
The report by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics said the amount spent on lobbying in the state dropped to $205 million last year, the first decline in more than a decade.
By Glenn Blain
March 28, 2013
ALBANY — Lobbyists spent millions of dollars to influence state lawmakers last year — but didn’t break their usual record.
Total dollars spent on lobbying in New York dropped $15 million to $205 million in 2012, the first decline in more than a decade, according to the Joint Commission on Public Ethics.
“There was never an issue [in 2012] that drew the big [advertising] dollars,” said Bill Mahoney of the New York Public Interest Research Group.
Unlike 2011, which saw a flurry of ads in favor of Gov. Cuomo’s budget by the Cuomo-backed Committee to Save New York, the 2012 debate was dominated by lower-intensity issues.
The committee remained the top spender last year, but its lobbying expenses dropped from $11.9 million in 2011 to $4.2 million.
Spending on professional lobbying services rose from $171 million in 2011 to $179 million last year.
from:
www.nydailynews.com/new-york/lobbyist-article-1.1302016