Oregon's Top 25 Biggest Lobbyists

Portland Mercury:

Here's a depressing riddle: What spends $18 million a year on state politics, has an oversight group of two people, and isn't even public until three months after it's relevant? That's right! Lobbying. During the last Oregon legislative session, corporations, nonprofits, unions, and government groups spent over $18 million trying to sway our state representatives on their pet issues. All of this cashflow and the detailed ethical rules lobbyists are supposed to follow is overseen by only two state employees. Our Oregon crunched the numbers on all lobbyist spending in 2009. Check out their helpful pie chart:Our Oregon The spending reports from the first quarter of lobbying from this year's session (January—March) are finally ready for the public, so we can see who is spending what kind of money in Salem this year. The top 25 spenders below the cut! On the list are perennials like healthcare groups, the Oregon Bankers Association, and energy companies. But surprises include the Oregon Education Association topping the list as it battles off budget cuts to schools, an LNG developer, and South Carolina-based plastic bag manufacturer Hilex Poly Co., which has pretty successfully worked against the bill to ban the bag. [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

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