Lobbyists still spread largesse in Legislature

CARSON CITY — The economic gloom that marked the start of Nevada’s 2009 legislative session didn’t seem to faze lobbyists, who spent $57,996 on food and drinks at dinners, receptions and other events during February.

An analysis by The Associated Press of preliminary Legislative Counsel Bureau records on lobbyist spending shows the advocates are well ahead of their pace during the first month of the 2007 session, when they spent $42,586 wining and dining the lawmakers.

The February 2009 spending included $56,717 on group events, and another $1,278 on individual legislators.

The $1,278 for individual legislators isn’t much compared with the group event spending. However, there’s no lawmaker-by-lawmaker spending breakdown for big events, to which all Assembly members and senators as well as many non-legislators were invited.

A breakdown of the $1,278 in spending on individual legislators in February shows that Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, was No. 1, getting $316 in food and drinks from lobbyists.

Schneider, chairman of the Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation Committee, is no newcomer to the top spot. He led all other lawmakers during the entire 2007 session, with $800 in lobbyists’ largesse.

Assembly Corrections, Parole and Probation Chairman William Horne, D-Las Vegas, was down for $154, followed by Assembly Commerce and Labor Chairman Marcus Conklin, D-Las Vegas, at $117.

Lobbyists reported spending nothing on 34 of the 63 lawmakers; several others lawmakers were in the two-figure range.

The most expensive gatherings held for lawmakers and others included separate events held by the Nevada chapter of Associated General Contractors and the Nevada Taxpayers Association. Each of those events cost more than $11,000.

The Nevada Golf Industry Alliance held a reception that cost $3,823; while a GE Energy reception at the governor’s mansion, hosted by former Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, cost $3,115; and the Nevada Credit Union League held a reception that cost $2,923.

Lobbyists reported spending just over $175,000 in food and drinks on Nevada lawmakers during the four-month-long 2007 session. But the reports didn’t include the advocates’ personal expenses, such as their pay, housing, transportation and their own food and drinks and other related costs.

Critics of the sketchy reports say there’s likely to be some nonreporting or underreporting by some of the 970 registered advocates, including 570 paid lobbyists. However, there’s no way to prove it since there’s no follow-up accounting or auditing.