Which NJ special interests spent the most money to influence policymakers last year?
Special interests spent $95 million last year lobbying New Jersey lawmakers, officials and the public to sway their opinions about bills, regulations or governmental processes, according to an analysis by the state’s campaign finance agency released Thursday.
It’s the fourth-largest annual total that lobbyists poured into influence campaigns in New Jersey history, trailing only the prior three years, which had produced the largest windfalls as companies fought to have their say over emergency relief bills amid the COVID-19 pandemic, recreational marijuana legalization, a bill restructuring the state’s largest health insurer and a utility bill subsidy to keep nuclear power plants operating, among others.
“The last five years have been a relatively tumultuous time for the state and lobbyists,” said Jeff Brindle, executive director of the Election Law Enforcement Commission. “Things seem to be settling down somewhat.”
Who spent the most on lobbying in NJ in 2022?
The top 10 companies who spent the most on lobbying in 2022 include:
PSE&G, the state’s top energy producer: $849,000
ACLU, a civil liberties nonprofit: $717,000
NJ Realtors, an advocate for the real estate industry: $715,000
AARP NJ, an advocate for people older than 50 years old: $649,000
New Jersey State League of Municipalities, an association of local elected officials: $647,000
Chemistry Council of NJ, an association of manufacturers and the chemical industry: $636,000
NJ Hospital Association, which advocates for hospitals: $608,000
CEP Renewables LLC, a solar plant developer: $606,000
Engineers Labor Employer Cooperative, a coalition of unions, contractors and developers: $566,000
NJ Business & Industry Association, an advocacy group for business interests: $551,000
What did they lobby for?
The annual filings do not include much detail about specific bills the companies focused on and what their stances were. The forms include phrases such as “lobbying on real estate related legislation,” “government relations,” “NJDEP matters” or “legislation.”
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But the quarterly forms go into more depth. For example, PSEG pushed for amendments to bills establishing a nuclear advisory commission, extending a ban on certain utility discontinuances, and other bills. The NJ Realtors supported amending a bill to prevent discriminatory appraisals, and supported a bill eliminating a supplemental realty transfer fee, among others.
Who are the biggest lobbying spenders in NJ in the past two decades?
The state’s powerful teachers’ union, the New Jersey Education Association, did not break the top 10 last year, despite pouring the most money into lobbying of any actor in the past 23 years with a combined total of nearly $53 million, according to an ELEC analysis.
The next highest spender over the past two decades was AARP with $16.6 million, followed by Verizon with $16.4 million, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield with $16.3 million and PSEG with $16 million.
The 25 companies that spent the most on lobbying in the past 23 years poured $285 million into their efforts, which encompassed 20% of all spending during that time.
“Most of these are large organizations with big financial stakes in New Jersey,” Brindle said. “Policies they support or oppose can have a significant impact on these organizations and the lives of New Jersey citizens.”
Due to the NJEA’s outsized influence, the union sector dominated all others in lobbying spending from 2000 to 2022, followed by telecommunications, energy, hospitals and issue advocacy.
These lobbying firms were big winners
Heavily-regulated industries are banned from donating directly to candidates, so companies in the utility, telecommunications, insurance and banking fields typically rely more heavily on lobbying, according to ELEC.
The lobbying firms that earned the most in 2022 included Princeton Public Affairs Group with $11.3 million, Public Strategies Impact LLC with $7.6 million, CLB Partners with $6 million, The Zita Group LLC with $3.8 million and MBI-Gluckshaw with $3.8 million.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Which NJ special interests spent the most on lobbying in 2022
