A bill aimed at curbing lobbyists’ gifts to lawmakers won the unanimous, but not necessarily enthusiastic, vote of the Senate’s Government Committee on Thursday. Senator Michele Reagan’s bill clamps down on lobbyists who give free tickets to lawmakers for events like concerts and ballgames.
“There’s no benefit to the public for us going to a sporting event or a rock concert,” Reagan said. “I don’t know that even under disclosure you’re ever going to be able to convince me that there was a public benefit to that.”
Reagan says there’s a great need for real-time disclosures and she says existing law needs to be clarified to spell out what is and what is not an acceptable lobbyist gift. The bill is now headed to the floor of the state Senate.