NEWS from the Equality State Policy Center July 18, 2006

Wyoming’s big secret

Lobbyist spending still hidden from public

The amount of money spent to influence lawmakers in Wyoming “remains as one of the state’s great political secrets,” the board chair of the Equality State Policy Center said today.

Wyoming’s law requires little reporting by the battalion of lobbyists, some 365 of them in the recent budget session, who worked hard to inform and influence the state’s 90 legislators.

“That’s four lobbyists for every legislator in the state,” Gorin said. “Yet we have only the slightest idea of how much money they spend trying to change or keep tax laws in their favor and to encourage policies that help their special interests.”

“And too often, their interests are contrary to the public interest,” she said.

Wyoming’s lobbyist reporting law requires reporting of spending on receptions for all legislators or groups of legislators, ESPC Executive Director Dan Neal said, plus gifts to individuals worth more than $50.

“It’s ridiculous. Take the ESPC as an example. I was there every day during the 2006 budget session. Sarah was in Cheyenne nearly every day of the first half of the session. We talked with legislators, we testified to committees, we talked with the media, all in an effort to influence legislation,” Neal said.

“But the ESPC didn’t hold a reception or give any gifts. Under state law, we’re under no obligation to report any spending and our lobbying presence would be invisible to the general public,” Neal said.

“Likewise, the numerous mineral industry lobbyists working on the same issues I was are invisible too,” Gorin said. “Several mineral industry-sponsored receptions show up in the reports, but that doesn’t begin to reflect the constant presence of the mineral industry lobbyists throughout the session and during the interim.”

“Their spending, and that of other major industries, remains as one of the state’s great political secrets,” she said.

The ESPC did report this year and noted that it spent more than $9,500. The Wyoming Mining Association, Neal noted, reported only about $4,200 in lobbying spending, most of it for three receptions.

“Even that’s interesting, though, when compared to other outfits,” he added. “The Wyoming Cable Television Association spent more than $9,500 on its reception. They must have had a good band or one of those big cakes.”

. The solution to this problem, Gorin said, is complete lobbyist reporting.

“The law should simply require lobbyists to report everything they spend trying to influence legislation,” she said. “That means salaries, fees, benefits, telephone, printing, motel, mileage, everything. If there are concerns about private information, totals can be aggregated in categories.”

“If our nonprofit coalition spent $9,500 without meeting a reporting requirement, we can imagine what the totals would be for lobbyists representing global oil and gas companies, Big Pharma, tobacco and other major corporate interests,” Gorin said.

Complete reporting is needed particularly because Wyoming has a part-time legislature, she added. “Because Wyoming legislators don’t have personal staffs, they depend heavily on lobbyists for information,” said Gorin. “If you have a lobbyist, your voice is heard a lot louder than if you don’t.”

“We need more sunshine on the making of state laws and policies that affect all of us,” Neal said. “Wyoming should expand its reporting law so the public can see what’s going on and give the secretary of state the necessary power to enforce the law.”

The Equality State Policy Center, a broad-based coalition of Wyoming interests, works through research, public education and advocacy to hold Wyoming state and local governments accountable to the people they represent, and to encourage and assist state residents to participate effectively in public policy decision-making.

Contact: Dan Neal, executive director, 307-472-5939

or Sarah Gorin, ESPC board chair, 745-8594,