Minnesota Lawyer
Interest groups spent nearly $11.5 million lobbying Minnesota lawmakers in 2012, with business organizations easily outpacing other groups in spending.
During 2012, roughly 1,400 lobbyists were paid to represent 1,354 organizations in St. Paul, according to a report on lobbyist spending released by the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board on Wednesday. Those groups spent $11,478,298 on lobbying activities, a number that doesn’t include lobbyist fees or salaries. That’s down from about $14.7 million spent in 2011, a budgeting year.
Most of that spending, or about 86 percent, went toward influencing legislative action, according to the report, while just 13 percent was spent on trying to sway Gov. Mark Dayton’s administration. About 1 percent was devoted to influencing local governments.
The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce topped all the lobbying groups on the list, spending $925,604 during the 12-month period. Teachers union Education Minnesota came in second with $840,235 in spending, and Xcel Energy finished third with nearly $803,000 spent.
The Minnesota Indian Gaming Association also spent big in 2012 — $362,656 – as legislators debated expanding gambling in the state to help pay for the state’s share of the new Vikings stadium.
Go here to read the full report.
