How many legislators and their family and friends are enjoying the ACC Tournament today courtesy of one of our public university’s lobbyists? How about the governor and lieutenant governor? Does anyone know?
On Sept. 30, 2003, Dan Kane and Lynn Bonner wrote in The News & Observer, under the headline “Lobbying dollars flow through loopholes,” that:
“UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University gave prized ACC Basketball Tournament passes to a dozen influential state legislators, plus Gov. Mike Easley and Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue.”
Kane and Bonner explain that such shenanigans are allowable under the “goodwill” exception to lobbying reports required by state law. “The law interprets lobbying to mean trying to influence specific legislative action. Lobbyists say that means if they pay for a legislator’s dinner at the Angus Barn or take a legislator to the NCSU-UNC football game ? but don’t talk about a specific bill ? they don’t have to report the spending.”
For instance, “Mark Fleming, the UNC system’s lobbyist, said he has paid the greens fees for legislators on golf outings and has picked up the restaurant tab. But he said he did not have to report it because they didn’t talk business.”
Ah, right. Lavishing favors upon someone without specifying at that moment what favor is to be done in return, waiting until a later date to make that request ? that’s not lobbying, that’s acting like Mafiosi-lite.
