Lobbyists Spend Money Lobbying

Lobbyists spent money lobbying Kansas officials. That's pretty much the whole story, though I am sure a flurry of editorials denouncing the spending is just around the corner.

The Wichita Eagle reports that lobbyists have spent more than $300,000 lobbying Kansas elected officials since the start of February. The paper leads with a list of legislators receiving meals and perks from lobbyists. I'm not all that troubled by these expenditures. 

Rep. Dan Hawkins received the most in lobbying hospitality, followed by Rep. Willie Dove, Sen. Julia Lynn and Rep. Erin Davis. Meh. Most lobbyist spending is not itemized, but Hawkins, for example, was a top recipient of lobbyist spending at $1,174. 

The part I find most interesting and discouraging is that many of the hefty spending lobbyist organizations are funded by me. The Kansas State Council of Firefighters, for example, spent $10,563 on lobbying activities in the first two months of 2016. The Kansas County Treasurers Association was also a bigger spender, noting $7,869 in lobbying expenses. The Kansas Association of Counties spent $5,457. 

Directly or indirectly, these are associations that use taxpayer money to lobby for more taxpayer money. I am not a fan. I was also surprised to see that the KNEA did not make the list. That squeaky wheel of an organization sure gets a lot of press, regardless of not spending money on lobbying efforts.