Lobbyists spent more than $58.1 million and 472,000 hours trying to influence the decisions of state lawmakers and agencies during the 2005-06 legislative session, according to a state Ethics Board report released Thursday.
Spending in the last session jumped by nearly 20 percent compared to the previous session, which totaled roughly $48.8 million. The number of hours devoted to lobby-related matters also increased from 442,000 hours.
"Is that a lot? I don't know," said Roth Judd, director of the Ethics Board. "It's not the total amount of money — it has to do with how lumpy it is."
Lumpiness, according to Judd, is measured by comparing the number of "loud" voices — lobby groups with large budgets — with the number of small ones, like grassroots organizations.
"It would be bad to have some — because of their deep pockets — drown out others," Judd added. "It would be very good to bring more voices to the Capitol."
Wisconsin's loudest voice last session was once again Wisconsin's Manufacturers & Commerce, the statewide business lobby group, spending nearly $1.6 million. The Wisconsin Education Association Council, or WEAC, and the Wisconsin Hospital Association each spent $1.5 million.
Jay Heck, executive director of the government watchdog group Common Cause in Wisconsin, said the increased lobbyist spending should concern people because legislators only have so much time in Madison.
"It's alarming because increasingly [lobbyists] are monopolizing the access to legislators," Heck said. "Normal citizens are shut out of the process. It doesn't bode well for democracy."
In line with Judd's analogy, Common Cause would be considered a "small-voice" lobbyist group. According to the Ethics Board report, the group spent a little more than $24,000 during the 2005-06 session.
The report also said nine lobby groups spent more than $750,000, 13 organizations spent more than $500,000 and 322 spent less than $25,000. The Ethics Board reported 755 organizations were registered to lobby.
For the first time, every organization reported its spending activities electronically to the Ethics Board, and Judd said the board received every report by the Jan. 31 deadline.
Ethics Board lobbying administrator Erik Hayko, who managed the 2005-06 session report, said electronic filing has allowed the agency to produce lobbying spending reports in a matter of minutes. In the past, it could have taken hours or even days.
"We've really automated the process," Hayko said. "All the lobbying groups report to us electronically. … There's very little change that has to be done."
Hayko said the electronic filing system was implemented two sessions ago and has allowed the board to conduct more compliance checks in a timely manner.
The system also allows the board to post lobby spending information more readily to its website, where Internet browsers can search organizations and their activities.
Electronic filing also reduces costs, Judd added.
While Heck said the report shows a "significant" increase over the past two years in lobby group spending, he also said the amount spent would be difficult to reduce. Heck and some lawmakers have proposed plans that would limit spending growth, especially during elections.
"It's the fear during election time that drives a lot of this," Heck said. "We need an election system with spending limits."
