Federal Lobbying by Minnesota’s Local Governments Flies Under the Radar
by Tom StewardLocal governments in Minnesota have already spent at least $729,000 of taxpayer money this year to lobby policymakers in Washington, DC.
If federal lobbying records are any indication, Minnesota’s local governments are increasingly turning to our nation’s capital in search of funding for local programs. A Freedom Foundation of Minnesota analysis of Lobbying Disclosure Act filings finds that Minnesota’s local governments and their associations spent at least $5.217 million lobbying the federal government from 2006 through the first half of 2010.[i] Annual lobbying expenditures have risen each year and are on pace to set a new record in 2010, with at least $729,000 spent the first half of the year.
So far in 2010, the biggest spenders have been the City of Minneapolis ($90,000), the City of Moorhead ($80,000), and Scott County ($60,000).
Overall, the biggest spenders since 2006 have been Scott County ($815,000), the City of Moorhead ($620,000), Hennepin County ($405,000), the North Metro Mayors Coalition ($375,000), and the Anoka County Regional Railroad Authority ($369,000).
“I do believe that given the multitude of issues at the federal level that directly impact the cost of county government that it is important the county have a voice and be heard,” said Gary Shelton, Scott County Administrator. “I also believe it has been money well spent.”
The controversial practice of using taxpayer money to lobby for additional taxpayer money is nothing new in Minnesota. In fact, local governments and their associations are required to report lobbying expenditures to the Office of the State Auditor (OSA), which prepares an annual report on local government lobbying activities. However, the state law requiring local governments to report lobbying expenditures to the OSA does not apply to federal lobbying.
Consequently, Minnesota’s local governments are able to spend a great deal of taxpayer money on Washington lobbyists, largely out of public view.
“Local governments are spending millions of tax dollars to lobby for millions more,” said Freedom Foundation of Minnesota Vice President Jonathan Blake.“At a time when people are demanding accountability in government and an end to reckless spending, that just doesn’t make sense.”
Blake continued: “When local governments use taxpayer money to lobby legislators in St. Paul, they are required to report those activities to the state. We should require the same level of transparency when local governments lobby policymakers in Washington.”
Click here to view annual totals for each local government.
Local Government Rankings: Total Federal Lobbying Expenditures (2006-2010*)
# 1 Scott County $815,000
# 2 City of Moorhead $620,000
# 3 Hennepin County[ii] $405,000
# 4 North Metro Mayors Coalition $375,000
# 5 Anoka County Regional Railroad Authority $369,000
# 6 Northstar Corridor Development Authority $363,000
# 7 City of Minneapolis $310,000
# 8 Anoka County $280,000
# 9 Metropolitan Airports Commission $220,000
# 10 City of St. Cloud $180,000
# 11 City of Willmar $180,000
# 12 St. Cloud Planning Organization $180,000
# 13 Duluth Airport Authority $180,000
# 14 Stearns County $140,000
# 15 Bemidji Regional Airport $140,000
# 16 Beltrami County $120,000
# 17 Minnesota Association of Small Cities $80,000
# 18 Minneapolis/Duluth Superior Passenger Rail Alliance $50,000
# 19 Association of Minnesota Counties $40,000
# 20 City of St. Paul $30,000
# 21 Dakota County $30,000
# 22 Ramsey County $30,000
# 23 Marshall Transportation Group $20,000
# 24 St. Louis County $20,000
# 25 Olmsted County $20,000
# 26 Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority $20,000
* Q1 and Q2 expenditures only
[i]Under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, federal lobbyists file quarterly reports with the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Secretary of the State detailing their lobbying activities on behalf of clients. Filers are instructed to “a good faith estimate of all income received from the client, other than payments for matters unrelated to lobbying activities.”
[ii]Lobbying Disclosure Act records indicate that Hennepin County’s lobbying expenditures have never exceeded $40,000 in any year covered by this report. However, officials with the Hennepin County Public Affairs Department have informed FFM that the county has had a $90,000 annual federal lobbying contract with an outside firm throughout the years covered, and advised FFM to use this annual figure as a more accurate reflection of the county’s federal lobbying expenses.
Tips, comments, or suggestions? Contact Tom Steward, FFM Investigative Director (952-451-3684).
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38 Comments
I would like to see what they got in return for that taxpayer money they spent on lobbying.
Besides the new car,house,family vacation the lobbyist spent.
Does a "Lobbyist" using taxpayer monies (and possibly inclusive of BAILOUT and or TARP monies) count as a job saved or created!
I wonder how much of that money ends up funding political campaigns??
Picture Caption
(Leader of the headless lobby to speak to Congress on progressive thought)
This is clearly corruption! Of course, Minnesota is far behind Alaska in pursuing handouts. In fact, as mayor of Wasilla, AK, Sarah Palin underwrote lobbying trips to Washington and ended up putting a lobbying firm on the payroll, which brought $27 million of your federal tax dollars into little Wasilla, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
"Yearly lobbying trips began in 2000 under Mayor Sarah Palin.
"Trips to the national capital were not about hobnobbing…, Palin said Thursday. "It was about being face to face with those who were actually writing the budget," Palin said, referring to Stevens', Murkowski's and Young's staffs.
"Palin recalled that costly upgrades to the city sewer system were the primary focus of early lobbying trips." http://www.adn.com/2006/02/01/194505/wasilla-dele...
What a great investment. Invest 10,000 tax dollars to get 10 million tax dollars.
Ponzi would be proud of you guys.
"Conflict of Interest"
It should be illegal for lobbying or campaign contributions to be made using tax payer funds. Simply put it government agencies and government employees (unions) should not be able to buy inluence with public money. Totally self serving and totally corrupt process.
There are so many holes in the bucket that it doesn't even resemble a bucket any longer. What have we done.
Ha Ha Ha, Minnesota is welfare heaven. Our daughter found herself in MN as a result of a promotion
and then was out of a job within two years due to a company buyout. She said it was unbelievable,
the multiple offers of handouts that were showered upon her. She spent nine months hunting a new
job, and never spent a sleepless night worrying about paying her bills. Said it could have only been
Carma that landed her there at that particular time. BTW, a TX gal she absolutely hates the winters.
Think of it as Norway USA, politically.
.
I got a rock
Town Hall Meetings should replace lobbyists!
Benefits: The Candidate would know the people, and the people would know the Candidate. The cost would be Zero. Plus it would be on video thereby cutting down on lying.
OK. You got us. We only support Republicans who do this. Congratulations. Feel better now?
It was wrong for her to do it, too, moron. Unlike libs, who believe libs can do no wrong, conservatives will denounce improper behavior by conservatives.
Done, now?
What a system. I pay the local government money from taxes to bribe those in the federal government – no names, please – to give back the money I pay the federal government in taxes. Everybody gets rich except me.
There's a ballot initiative in Alaska this fall designed to end the use of taxpayer money to lobby for more money. Predictably, the teachers and unions are opposed. Naturally using member dues to fund the opposition. The measure would also prohibit recipients of sole source state contracts from contributing to candidates who have/had the the power to award the contract. It's not unlike Government Motors or CitiBANK or AIG stepping up their campaign contributions to their pet congress-critters.
This initiative came about because of scandals with Mark Begich and union contracts while he ran for office and the VECO scandal that snared several legislators.
That's the whole lobbyist mentality. For the lobbyist, they invest 10,000 to get 10 million, it is a profitable deal. For the average citizen, who simply doesn't want to be plundered, the the only way to defend themselves is to invest immense amounts of time and energy (as the tea party is finally doing) in order to protect against a few cents here, a few dollars there… basically, the death of 1000 cuts. No one cut is worth defending against, but once you've added them all up, you realize that we spend 6/12 months working for some government or another (federal, state, local).
Look at the liberal response people. These morons are utterly predictable. He/she/it just uses the bad behavior as a segue to bash Palin/Bush/Cheney/whomever. No denial of the facts at hand, no response, just a reason to bash someone else. If pressed on it, this moron would defend Minnesota's bad behvior while at the same time denouncing it in Alaska. They have NO PRINCIPLES. Remember these are the people who were so violently mad about the war because of US casualties, but now they're happening at a record pace, and they are silent. All the US deaths were just a vehicle to stir up piss and hate to get votes. They don't give a damn about US deaths, doing the right thing, fixing problems. They CAN'T fix problems. All they know how to do is destroy and attack as this douche bagger so clearly demonstrates. Hard to build an economy when all you have are destrcutive tools at your disposal.
Anger, piss and hate – trademarks of liberals
"The American Republic will endure, until politicians
realize they can bribe the people with their own money."
– Alexis de Tocqueville
[Alexis Charles Henri Maurice Clerel, le Comte de Tocqueville] (1805-1859) French historian
If you're trying to cheer me up, you're going about it the wrong way. Interesting times, eh?
I thought the new number this year was 7 1/2 months. Thanks to the stimulus and bailouts and all the rest of Obama "saving" us.
Minnesota is constantly covered with 6 feet of snow. Polar bears eat unattended children. theirs only bark and yellow snow to eat. Al Franken is here to help us. Minnesota; Enter at your own risk, Libtards are in control here, FOR NOW.
It seems that even those involved in criminal/questionable activity must report where where the money is going and coming from!!! The only ones exempt from this requirement are mosque planners and illegal border intruders!!!! ARE THEY ACTUALLY AMASSING A SECRET WELL ARMED AND FINANCED ARMY??
Gee I wish I had a job where I could use their money to lobby for more of their money! /sarc.
SO VERY SAD AND DISGUSTING!!!!! She should be totally ashamed for be a worthless lazy piece of crap!!! You should be ashamed for encouraging your daughter not to work and reep benefits off the backs of other hard working people. Some people have serious medical conditions and are in severe pain every day, yet they go to work every day and work hard just to pay taxes to support your worthless daughter. Not only do we support all the lazy worthless people but, we also support the terrorists!
Perhaps you should read more carefully. Nowhere did I indicate she accepted the offers and hand-
outs. I merely stated they were offered by the bucket-full, and that she was amazed.
Now you WHINING piece o' crap get out of my reply box and don't ever show up in my territory again.
You obviously have the IQ of a turtle, and have no compassion for others. Don't tell me about your
medical conditions and pain, go pop a pill, as it is obvious you forgot to take your meds, better yet
double up, you ijit.
.
Whoa there, steady LeendaSue.
I didn't see anything in Onecornpone's post about encouraging anyone not to work. Your derogatory language does nothing to ingratiate anyone towards your position and reflects poorly on you. You don't even know the circumstances.
The fact that her daughter had a job and then was actively searching for a job takes her out of the "lazy worthless people" category. I think that it would be far better if the government were not in the charity business, but I doubt that the young lady is the one who voted for the people who set up the socialist state of MN. If you disagree with someone taking advantage of a welfare program, that is a valid position. However, your over the top ranting and insults are more characteristic of trolls and dullards, not freedom loving patriots.
It is understanding we seek to build here, not enmity.
Aye!
I stand with William Wallace & Boldness!
Be gone wit you LeendaSue and your Proglodyte Troll Trash!
Thank ya'll for your support. Actually our daughter had advanced in her career far above
what her academic achievement would indicate. How pray tell did she do that?, …. thank you
far asking. She worked twice as hard as her peers and accepted responsibilities far beyond
what was required. I and her father taught her that skill. I am taking a deep BOW now.
But many times the less academically achieved applicants are weeded out without a hearing.
BTW, she being a good conservative cashed in her retirement, paid the penalty and self-funded
her job search. Put that in your crack-pipe and smoke it Leeeeeenda! Oh yea, did I mention ,it
was that effin Democrat Warren Buffet that bought out her employers co and laid her off.
.
No doubt. The precise number is not the point. The point is that if government MUST tax, it should only do so in order to take what it needs to perform it's specified duties according to Article I Section 8. No welfare, no entitlements, no alphabet soup of federal departments and agencies, NO FED. The number should be 1 month out of every 12, maximum. The courts, the army, the police, and maybe roads. That's it.
Ah, the Aristocracy of Pull. Don't' ya just love it?
Sounds like government bribing to me. This is so wrong and an abuse of all taxpayers!
Hey all. Just to clarify, I am not a troll. I can certainly understand your negative responses to me and I wondered why so I went back and read the first entry from One. You didn't give all the facts in your first post that she didn't accept any handouts. You started out by Ha Ha Ha and so I interpretted your post in a totally different light. And as far as what you taught her, I too am very proud of my three children as they are very hard working and responsible also as I taught them. Kuddos to your daughter!
Well, gee. It's sure nice to get all those $$$$ amounts being spent. So what exactly are they lobbying for? And why is it necessary to lobby at all? Seems like a waste of money to me. Why don't we just keep that money here and send to Washington only what we don't use? Oh, wait. That won't work. Libs can always find ways to spend way more than what they take in, meaning Washington would get nothing, since we are run by a bunch of extremist libs that never can say NO to any spending, reasonable or not.
Oh I see, ……..so I tricked you into making an ass of yourself.
Well that is quite a nice un-apology you offer there LS.
I too have mistaken another commenters remarks and been in a similar position as you
find yourself, however I DID NOT pour on the hate nearly as thickly as you did to me and
mine. I did however posess the grace to delete my errant comment and make a REAL
sincere, non-qualified apology.
BTW, I remembered you as one who is normally not quite so hate filled and wondered
why you went ugly on me so easily. Have a nice day.
.
Sorry. Probably just a little stressed and scared about the future of our nation and lost it for a bit because I know and have worked with many that are always looking for a handout. And like I said, your're original post made it sound like you were making a joke of how Minnesotans are being robbed by such corruption.
You have a nicre day as well!
You are right , I was making a joke about MN's ridiculous state programs.
I was ridiculing the state of MN's socialistic nature.
Al Frikken Franken is their Senator, you don't find that worth joking about.
If not, how about Jessy Ventura for a Governor? He's a damn truther now !
MN is a JOKE ! …………………. Mostly on Minnesotans.
.
Maybe that is why my head blew and my mouth spewed venom at your post. I know all too well who those clowns are, among others. This once was a state of immigrants that worked hard to build this beautiful state and now it has been taken over by crooks to house every frikken alien at our expense!
By the way, I don't take meds and that could be the problem. Chill pills in order to pull through some of this crap
That's kinda funny.
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